A few years ago, Gemma Triay dreamed of a career in the professional tennisHowever, an injury at 18 years old changed her destiny and led her towards the paddlewhere she is today world number 1. In an interview with El MundoThe Spanish player looks back on her atypical career, her strong minded, psychological work with Eli Amatriain and his vision of theequality between men and women on the circuit Premier Padel.

At 33 years, Gemma Triay continues to write the history of women's padel. Always world number 1 next to Delfi BreaThe Menorcan player returned, in an interview given to the Spanish daily newspaper. El Mundo, on his atypical journey, marked by an injury, a change of direction and exemplary resilience.

"I stopped playing tennis at 18 because of an injury."

Before becoming one of the best padel players in the world, Gemma Triay was destined for... tennisComing from a family passionate about this sport, she recounts:

“I wasn’t even three years old when I already had a racket in my hands. At 14, I went to Majorca, in the Balearic Islands, where I stayed until I was 19.”

But one severe abdominal tear disrupted his plans:

“I went a year without playing. When I came back, I was still in pain, and I started questioning everything. So I decided to stop and go to Barcelona to study, like a normal teenager.”

It was there, almost by chance, that she discovered the paddle, then booming in Catalonia:

“Two years later, I missed sports. Since tennis seemed too far away, I signed up for a university padel tournament… and everything happened very quickly. Six months after I started, I was playing my first tournament of the World Padel Tour »

A second chance and a change of mentality

Triay speaks of a real second life in sports :

“Joining the circuit meant traveling, while I was in the middle of university. I had to choose between continuing my studies or trying my luck in padel. My parents helped me, even though for my father, quitting tennis was like giving up.”

This choice, risky at the time, proved decisive.

"I know that the mentality I have today in padel, I didn't have in tennis. Experiencing failure in tennis helped me become who I am."

"You have to be a little obsessive to be number 1."

After several years at the top, Gemma Triay is measuring the price of success:

“Being number 1 involves a lot of effort, sacrifices, pressure… But at 33, I experience it differently. I enjoy it more, I accept it when things don't go well.”

And she added, lucidly:

"You have to be a bit obsessive in this profession. I can spend two hours doing the same exercise without difficulty. My coach often tells me that's not normal. But I like to give 100% and go to bed feeling refreshed."

Essential mental work

Triay insists on the importance of mental preparation, particularly through his work with Eli Amatriain, former player turned sports psychologist:

"It brings me incredible peace of mind. It's constant work: some weeks I talk more than others, but it's always necessary. I'm learning to manage frustration and accept mistakes, because often, matches are decided by the ability to control one's emotions."

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.

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