This Tuesday morning, on the show “Estelle Midi” broadcast on RMC and RMC Story, a rather juicy exchange - and already controversial - took place between Daniel Riolo, sports columnist, and Estelle Denis, host of the show.
Today's topic: padel, this booming sport… once again the victim of clichés in the media.

“It’s those who can no longer play tennis who go to padel.”

While Estelle Denis spoke about the growing popularity of padel, Daniel Riolo was quick to fire off a few barbs:

"I'm still healthy, I'm not old, so I don't need it."

An exit that made the set smile, but which also launched a series of mocking remarks:

Estelle Denis: “There aren’t only old people in padel!”
Daniel Riolo: "Or people in poor health, or who can no longer run, or who have pain all over. It's those who can no longer play tennis who go to padel."

“Poor man’s tennis?”

The journalist then added, in an ironic tone:

"It's a bit like poor man's tennis, isn't it?"

To which Riolo replied:

"No, not poor."

But the columnist continued in the same vein:

"He's the one who's out of shape, you know. It's easier, it's warm, you're in your little cage, you're calm, that's it. Like you said, you learned to play a week ago, you're getting to your level, and that's it."

An exchange that will get people talking

This exchange, broadcast live on RMC, did not fail to react.
A few weeks after the controversy surrounding the video de The Team, it is now RMC which relaunches the debate with a vision of sport deemed to be a caricature.

If the exchange between Estelle Denis et Daniel Riolo is certainly meant to be humorous, it translates a persistent ignorance of this spectacular and demanding sport.
Technical, fast and strategic, padel is no longer a “substitute leisure activity” for ex-tennis players, but a discipline in its own right, part of the dynamics of modern French sport.

Team Padel Mag

The team Padel Magazine has been trying to offer you the best of padel since 2013, but also surveys and analyses to try to understand the world of padel. From the game to the politics of our sport, Padel Magazine is at your service.

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