Michael (in white, left) with teammate Bjorn Schroeder.
The staff of GAME4PADEL have been shining on the cricket grounds in Switzerland and Florida over the past few days, with CEO Michael Gradon and ambassador Tia Norton both performing well in high-level international events.
Michael first set foot on the pitch in Baden, Switzerland, where he played a key role in England’s senior team’s attempt to win the prestigious Six Nations title at the exclusive Padel Baregg club. Satisfied to finish third.
As he revealed, there was plenty of drama behind the scenes: “Unfortunately, one of our players (Simon England) got stuck in a horrific traffic jam, was five minutes behind his flight at Heathrow and had to wait in a cafe. Nero slept on the floor for the night before flying to Basel early the next morning.
“So in the first game against Estonia we had to turn our team around and I had the privilege of playing alongside Mike Jenkins’ wife, who is a very good player who has played in England women’s football, but we Lost 7-5, 7-5 to Estonian third pair after an epic game. Who knows, it might have been different if we had let the whole team out!”
This year’s event has added significance – providing the perfect warm-up for the inaugural European Senior Championship in Alicante next month.
The CEO of Game4Padel said: “It was a very hot and humid indoor court, the first day was very full for the three races and I played with an injury so by the end of the first day I was very tired.
“At the end of the second day, our last match against the Swiss second pair, the tie-break third set tiebreaker was 15-13 and I was completely exhausted.
But it’s been really good practice for the Europeans, both in terms of fitness and in terms of the number of wickets we’ve hit – invaluable in that regard.
“But I love these things because there’s tons of fun and banter when we’re all trying to win and there are new faces every time we do it – and it’s also great to reunite with old friends, especially with the Scots. And have a natural affinity with the Irish.
“It’s also nice to meet some Swiss players who have already played for the Six Nations. I think we’re likely to see a surge in these unofficial international events in the future because they’re so popular and enjoyable.”
Michael was also keen to thank tournament organizer Barry Coffey, chairman of the Padel Association of Ireland, for the good work he has done, saying: “Thank you very much Barry. Most of us probably underestimate the work of events like this Quantity, and full credit to him and Swiss captain Dale (Bof) and Mike Kemp (Ireland) who also supported Barry behind the scenes. All players are very grateful to Barry and his team for the effort, this is just one of the padel Great weekend.”
at the same time Florida’s Sarah Vanderburgh Tennis Center Game4Padel Ambassador Tia Norton is once again starring in the inaugural US Pro Padel League’s Las Vegas Smash.
During games against undefeated leaders Miami and the San Diego Stingrays, Tia revealed she’s been on a roller coaster of emotions over the weekend.
Ms. GB No.1 said: “Last weekend we really felt every emotion under the sun. In our first game (women’s doubles) against Miami on Saturday, we played former world No. 1 Marta Marrero and the game went into Unfortunately Miami broke us and although there was only one break at 5-2 with me serving, we couldn’t hold serve and ended up losing 6-2.
“Having said that, there isn’t really much to it, and a lot of games are decided based on golden points, so we did feel like we were 100 per cent in the game, but they came out faster in the third set and Ma Ta has so much experience of making a difference when it matters most. I hope there will be another chance to play Marta if everything goes according to plan and we reach the semi-finals.”
Despite a disappointing performance against leaders Miami, an important win over San Diego within 24 hours puts Las Vegas in a good position for Saturday’s semifinal.
Tia recalled: “We won against San Diego on Sunday, but the most important thing is to pass the game! After Saturday, everyone’s emotions are high, San Diego is a game we have to win, otherwise we will be out.
“So there were a lot of factors in that race, it wasn’t my best day in padel – it took about six match points to really get the job done. I felt like I missed the ball every game, so Santiago It was more of a mental struggle, it felt like I was really fighting myself.
“But every game is competitive and our opponents have good players. So we are really happy but there is also a lot of negative emotion because we didn’t finish in two sets but we got the win we needed, And winning the aggregate, that’s what matters.”
This weekend, Tia and her Las Vegas Smash teammates take on the Los Angeles Beat, a win they know will secure them a spot in the US PPL semifinals, and everyone at Game4Padel wishes her the best of luck.
