Padel stars in UAE delighted to share court with top-ranked international players

Gulf News

UAE padel stars Fares Aljanahi and Abdullah Ahli were all smiles while walking back to their change rooms after finishing their first day matches in the World Padel League at the Coco Cola Arena. It was an overwhelming experience that they will cherish for some time now. The duo got to play in the inaugural edition alongside some of the world’s best padel players. “It was a great experience,” Fares, who plays for Panthers, said. “Initially, I was all nervous, but the team was all welcoming and friendly. It made me comfortable,” he added.  Read the full story: https://gulfnews.com/sport/uae-padel-stars-cherish-playing-alongside-top-ranked-international-players-1.96320129  Subscribe to Gulf News on YouTube and watch more of our videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/GulfNewsTV  See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km  #UAEnews #padel #sports

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00:00I feel like what's different about them is how they prepare mentally before the games.

00:04They seem more calm, more relaxed.

00:09The first day was a bit like nerves, I would say, but towards the end it felt much better.

00:14And the team, they're all very welcoming. The players, it almost feels very friendly, like.

00:21Alhamdulillah, yesterday it was a great start for us. We learned a lot from them.

00:26And inshallah, the coming two days also we learn more and more from them.

00:29I feel like what's different about them is how they prepare mentally before the games.

00:34They seem more calm, more relaxed. They don't think too much, maybe because they're used to

00:40these big stages and these type of events. Looking at them being this calm mentally made me feel like

00:46I'm calm as well. But in terms of physical and preparation, it's very similar, I would say.

00:52It was a new experience for us. We play tournaments as a team, only with the national team.

00:57This is the first time we play a tournament as a team, but not with the national team.

01:01So we saw them, how they sit all together, how they talk. Even though the difference of the

01:05level, but they still take our, like they listen from us and they hear from us.

01:10And that was really good for us.

01:11What we realized and what we're seeing here is that

01:14if you want to really compete with the highest level,

01:18maybe being around them in that environment will allow us to

01:22get to their level and compete with them as well.

01:25I think it will help us. It will motivate us.

01:27But I think to become a professional player, you need consistency, consistent and discipline.

01:33Yes, we have all the resources here in Dubai. We have a great team. We have a great support system.

01:37It's however, the environment is not as strong as Spain and Argentina.

01:41My thought process about the coaching is there isn't much of a difference.

01:45I think we have great coaches here in Dubai.

01:48They support us and they think just how they think.

01:52It's just the players, like I said, are a bit different.

01:56Exactly.

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