The Joy of Padel podcast with Ksenia Sharifova (JOPS03E06)

The Joy of Padel: Insights from a Russian Pro on Partnership, Mental Toughness, and Finding Your Flow

Have you ever wondered what it takes to become a top-ranked professional padel player? Or how the dynamics of partnership in this fast-growing sport can make or break a career? In this eye-opening episode of The Joy of Padel podcast, we dive deep into the world of professional padel with Ksenia Sharifova, a Russian pro currently ranked 23rd in the world (see Ksenia’s FIP profile here).

From Tennis to Padel: A Serendipitous Journey

Ksenia’s journey to padel stardom is anything but conventional. As a former tennis player, she initially viewed padel as a mere hobby, often finding it frustrating due to the unique challenges posed by the walls and different strategy. However, a chance encounter with a padel coach changed everything:

“He said, ‘I can make you a top padel player.’ And I said, ‘Padel? I hate padel. I don’t like it. I don’t feel good. I don’t know how to play.’ And he said, ‘Please let me train you for free for one month.'”

This pivotal moment highlights a crucial lesson for padel aficionados and aspiring pros alike: sometimes, our greatest opportunities arise from the most unexpected places. Ksenia’s willingness to give padel a second chance, despite her initial dislike, ultimately led her to discover her true passion and potential in the sport.

The Unique Challenges of Padel Partnership

One of the most fascinating aspects of padel is the intricate dance of partnership. Unlike individual sports, success in padel hinges on the chemistry and communication between two players. Ksenia offers a candid look into the complexities of finding and maintaining a successful padel partnership:

“There are a lot of rumors… and from firsthand, I spoke to girls in top and they felt this betrayal. They were very, very mad at their partners. But eventually, like year after, they had to go back and play together because there’s so few players at the end.”

This insight reveals the often-overlooked emotional and psychological challenges that professional padel players face. The constant pressure to perform, coupled with the limited pool of top-tier players, creates a unique dynamic where personal feelings must often be set aside for professional success.

Mental Toughness: The Key to Longevity in Padel

Throughout the conversation, Ksenia emphasizes the critical role of mental toughness in navigating the ups and downs of professional padel. She shares:

“I had so many bad moments mentally. I had so many breakdowns. I quit tennis so many times… Padel as well, I think, I don’t know, maybe 20 times I said that I quit padel, I hate it.”

This raw honesty serves as a powerful reminder that even at the highest levels of the sport, self-doubt and frustration are common. The key difference between those who succeed and those who don’t often lies in their ability to persevere through these challenging moments.

Finding Your Flow: The Ultimate Joy of Padel

Despite the challenges, Ksenia’s passion for padel shines through when she describes the moments of pure joy and flow she experiences on the court:

“When everything is in check… This feeling is unbelievable. When you, like, flow now everything is flowing. Like, everything is beautiful. You’re, like, in the zone. This feeling is wise, great.”

This description captures the essence of what makes padel so addictive and rewarding for players of all levels. It’s a reminder that beyond the competition and technical skills, there’s a profound sense of joy and connection that can be found in the sport.

What We Learned About the Joy of Padel

Ksenia Sharifova’s journey and insights offer valuable lessons for padel enthusiasts and aspiring professionals:

1. Embrace unexpected opportunities: Your initial dislike of something might be hiding your greatest passion.

2. Partnership is key: Success in padel requires not just skill, but also the ability to navigate complex interpersonal dynamics.

3. Mental toughness is crucial: The ability to persevere through setbacks and self-doubt is often what separates the good from the great.

4. Find your flow: The true joy of padel lies in those moments of perfect synchronicity with your partner and the game.

Whether you’re a seasoned padel player or just starting your journey in this exciting sport, Ksenia’s story serves as an inspiration and a reminder of the transformative power of padel. It’s not just about winning matches; it’s about personal growth, overcoming challenges, and experiencing those magical moments of flow on the court.

Ready to dive deeper into the world of professional padel? Listen to the full episode for more insights from Ksenia Sharifova and discover how you can apply her wisdom to your own padel journey. Remember, every time you step on the court, you’re not just playing a game – you’re participating in The Joy of Padel.

To find out more about Ksenia Sharifova:

• Find or follow @kseniasharifova on Instagram: @kseniasharifova
• Find or follow on YouTube

To listen to the show:

To listen to The Joy of Padel podcast, you can use the embedded player above, or go find it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or any number of other podcasting services listed here.

Send in your questions or reactions:

Please send me your questions — as an audio file if you’d like — to nminterdial@gmail.com. Otherwise, below, you’ll find the show notes and, of course, you are invited to comment. If you liked the podcast, please take a moment to review and/or rate it! ¡VAMOS!

Further resources for The Joy of Padel:

joy of padel | Ksenia Sharifova | mental health in sports | padel aficionado | padel career | padel challenges | Padel Coaching | padel communication | padel competition | padel defense | padel growth | padel lob | padel mindset | padel partnership | padel podcast | padel shots | padel smash | padel Strategy | padel teamwork | Padel Techniques | padel Tournaments | Padel Training | professional padel | Russian padel player | Tennis To Padel Transition

This transcription comes courtesy of Flowsend.ai, an AI service for podcasters.

Minter Dial: I am So, happy to have you on my show. I’ve watched you play numerous times and you’re a feisty, good player, Great player, number 23 in the world. Currently your top ranked was number 20. I’m sure you have ambitions for more, but in your own words, let’s start with who is Ksenia?

Ksenia Sharifova: Hello. Thank you for having me. It’s. It’s nice having interviews like this because I read a little bit about you, about your interviews. I think the subjects that you talk about are very nice. So, I’m very excited for this interview. Well, my name is Ksenia, obviously and I’m from Russia, I live in Spain, I play Padel and as you said, I’m 23rd in the world and of course I want to be top 10. Of course. Also, I want to be number one in the world. It’s my goal and we’re working hard for it. So, yeah, every day I practice a lot and travel. This year we travel a lot, So, it’s pretty nice life. Also, it’s a little bit hard because sometimes you don’t get what you want, but you have to fight for it.

Minter Dial: So, yeah, life lessons, we’ll get to that perhaps a little bit. But so, I mean, obviously if you look at the, the top hundred women players, pros mostly espanoles and Argentinas, then occasionally the Brazilian and obviously, you know, there are some other sprinklings or you know, Swedish and such, but a Russian player, you, you stand out not only because you’re Russian and but also because you have to go around with a blank flag when it’s from my angle, because I’m watching on Red Bull or whatever, you know, and I see Ksenia black flag. First of all, congratulations for being such a good player. A non-Spanish, non-Argentinian. How on earth did you get there? How. How is it that you have managed to pierce in amongst all these espanolists and Argentinas?

Ksenia Sharifova: Oh, it’s quite nice story because I never saw Padel as professional sport because I was playing tennis before. So, I practiced in Spain and in every club there are Padel courts. So, I was playing padel as hobby for fun. Well, even not for fun because it was So, hard with all the walls and the defense and the strategy of the game is So, different from tennis. So, I wasn’t having So, much fun because I was playing against people that are much older than me and they were just like beating me all the time. So, I was very nervous all the time. I even broke a record once. So, I didn’t like it at all. But then I had to stop playing tennis. And I was working in some tennis club because I didn’t want to. To go back to Russia because I lived in Spain for So, many years, and I was very comfortable. So, I stayed. And I met the coach, a padel coach, and he saw me playing tennis because in the morning, sometimes I play tennis just for maintaining my shape. And he was, like, a little bit shocked because he didn’t know that I was a professional player. So, he said, oh, my God, you work on reception, but you play very good tennis. Like, what? Tell me about your life. And I said, well, I was a tennis player, and I stopped when I was 20, and because I didn’t have enough money to travel all the year and to practice full time, I had to cut my practices. I had to. I had to cut my calendar. So, it. I was very nervous. I was very in the. I was in a bad shape mentally, So, I had to stop. And now I’m 24, and my goal is to earn €50,000 and start my tennis career again. So, he looked at me in my eyes, and he said, well, I’m sorry to tell you, but you’re already very old to start to play tennis. Like what? Like you. Right now, you’re breaking my dream. Like, I work very hard every day just with my goal to get back to tennis. And now you say that I’m old, I’m 24. Like, what are you saying? And he said, no, no, because 50,000 is not enough. You’re going to work a lot of years as a receptionist, So, it’s not an option, but I can make you a top Padel player. And I said, padel. I hate padel. I don’t like it. I don’t feel good. I don’t know how to play. And he said, please let me train you for free for one month. I will show you everything. All the shots, everything. Defense, attack speed, strategies, technique, everything. And if you like it, we continue. Because I feel that with my knowledge and your potential, your physics, your. Your power, I think I can make it top 10 or even. As he said that, he’s a. He said that he sold a dream to me. So, he said his dream is to make me number one. And I said, okay, let’s try. So, I practiced two times with him. He showed me defense. Like, first two practices were only defense exercises because he said, you already can volley and you really can hit smash. So, I’m not going to show it to you, but defense, the way you move, I will show you in, like, one hour. In one hour, I was able to defend double wall from one side to another side. I played in forehand side, back inside. So, I was like, I was So, excited because, like, yay, I can turn. I can play. Like, I can feel the ball. And then I played the match when, for first time, understanding what is going on on the court. And I liked it. And the way my coach, Marco, he trained me, So, I really enjoyed it. So, I stayed. And then I played my first tournament. Like, I started in January, I played in July. So, in seven months I played my first tournament. And I felt that, you know, adrenaline, that, this feeling in your, in your tummy when you compete. And I felt it and I felt how I missed this feeling, this competition feeling. And I said, that’s it. I stop working. I’m going to find where I can. I’m going to find a job where I can work half day So, I can practice more. And that’s it. Everything changed in my life.

Minter Dial: That is a lovely story. I. I mean, you know, the idea of you being a receptionist and being discovered like that, and then that, that pleasure of learning the walls, you know, when you get to the point where it’s. You’re just comfortable, let it go. As opposed to the tennis thing, one of the things that I frequently like to talk about with the pros especially is that transition from tennis, because So, many have come from tennis, or just like you, there was the padel on the side, and you know, well, why not just for a little bit of fun, even if it wasn’t that much fun for you, but then that transition. So, one of the things that I see So, often happening is the difficulty to let those ball go by. You’re So, used to wanting to attack, and if he goes by, you’re dead. So, you. This ingrainedness. So, how do you, how do you actually. What, what advice do you have for those tennis players who are saying, oh, gosh, you know, I don’t want to let it go. I. I’m too nervous. I don’t know how to use the walls. What. How do you get unwire to become a padel player?

Ksenia Sharifova: I would say patience, because I think I spent two years. I think, yes, it’s been two years. When I said, When I was practicing and I. I went to my coach and I said, I think for the first time in two years, I’m comfortable in the defense. I don’t think about letting it pass. But first two years, like my first match, my first World Power two match in Valencia, I think I didn’t Let any ball pass. I was playing tennis because I was So, excited to play Warped Tour and I got to play on the central court and I wanted to win So, much. So, I was playing everything in front of me, and I was going to the net, straight to the net. So. But I needed to learn to be patient because I was forgetting all the time to let the ball pass and defend from the wall. Because I. I was like, the ball is coming. I react. I was forgetting about the wall. Or even I was in the net, I was playing and then someone make passing and I just stopped the point. And my course said, continue. There is a wall. Oh, I forgot. I forgot that there is a wall. So, yeah, but a lot of patience and a lot of work because my coach, he said that first three months I couldn’t do controls. I was only doing baskets. And every time was like, do this wall. Like, just move back every time the ball goes. Try to stop this urge to go towards the bow. Go backwards. Like the ball is coming, but you already go backwards because it’s a side wall and the ball will rebound to you. So, you go back straight away. And I was working very hard, and then I started to play, like controls with the sparrings, and we were playing very slow, So, I could think. But then on matches, my coach would say, forget about everything. Don’t think about letting them pass. Just try to play. And little by little, you will start to feel when you have to let the ball pass and when not. But don’t be frustrated if you miss the ball and you’re thinking, I had to let it pass. He said, does the. The moment that you think about that you had to let it pass is good because it’s working. So, your. Your brain is reconstructing itself. But yes, I think my first advice is patience and a lot of hours because it’s hard. It’s hard to reorganize your brain to let the ball pass.

Minter Dial: Yeah, I talk to many people and they say, well, all I do is I watch the pros.

Ksenia Sharifova: Like, well, no, especially men. No, you can watch men because as we say, girls like men padel and women padel is two different sports. And for amateur player, I think female padel is good because it’s slower. We play more lobs, we play more tactical game. And it’s like men also play tactical game, but we play slower. So, it’s easier to learn from girls and from boys. Boys, you can watch their match and enjoy it because there’s So, many things like, I don’t know, for, like portraits, they Go. Yes, exactly, exactly. Like they reach the balls that you can’t imagine. Like I’m going to run like I said. Okay, let’s, let’s imagine that I go like this, this far to reach the ball that like smash. It goes out like, oh my God. It’s like, I don’t know, 30 meters that you have to run and then you have to do Mahia.

Minter Dial: So. But I’ve seen you do it. I’ve seen you do it. You do it. You know how to do it.

Ksenia Sharifova: Yeah, but sometimes like you, like as you said that there is only one thing that’s still a little bit struggling is to go out of the court. Like when I play on the forehand side, I see that the smash will go out like seconds before. So, I go straight to the door. I go out of the court and I can play from the back inside. I’m like, I see the door, I was like, I’m blocking myself. Like last week I think for first time I went out of the court and I, I played the ball inside the court. It was first time in five years.

Minter Dial: Well, that was the only time that I saw it. I, how funny. I saw that match and I watched you do that. I was like, that’s good. I mean I was expecting you to do it. Frankly, I didn’t know about your struggles. Well, it’s fascinating. And so, basically I see you playing on the left most of the time. Is that accurate? And one of the challenges is for, especially for amateurs who are listening is to think about which side should I play.

Ksenia Sharifova: Okay.

Minter Dial: You know tennis players, you’re right handed, you’re a tennis player. So, and you’re tall, you’re nearly, you’re a meter 77. So, you’ve got the overhead game naturally coming to you. How, how do you decide your whether you should play left or right with another player as forgetting the fact that it could be left handed player, you know, just for another right handed player.

Ksenia Sharifova: Of course, first that my coach told me you have to practice on both sides because you never know. And there are also So, few players yet because there are So, few countries that are in professional battle. So, you have to have options to play with backend players and forehand players. So, just learn both sides and also it will help you to understand the game on both sides. Like if I play on the forehand side and I know that this, this ball is hard, this ball is easy, this I can do something to create something to create opportunity. This one I’m struggling. So, when I play on the backhand side and I see the ball going and I say, oh, I remember this ball will be easy. So, I can close the net and I can finish the point. Or I see the B like ooh, this one is hard because she’s going to just push it. So, I have to go back with her. So, it, it helps me to understand both sides. Now how do I decide? Well, as you said, I have a height and I have power. So, most of my games I play on my back and side. So, I can really use my powers. And unless of course, as you said, you play with lefty because playing with lefty is like, it’s golden. It’s unbelievable because I don’t have to move that much. It’s, it’s big advantage. I think it’s very, sometimes it’s very unfair to play against lefty players because if I, if I am right handed and my partner is right handed, So, we have forehand and backhand. But if we play against left in right handed player, they are both beckons. So, you don’t know where to throw the ball because it doesn’t matter or left it goes or right handed goes. But in my case I have to work or my partner has to pass the ball, let the ball pass and then she goes back, we lose the net and we restart the point. So, it’s very, sometimes very unfair, especially when the court is fast. But anyways, I try to play forehand, but my backhand partner has to be also aggressive because as a right handed player, I cannot play with another right handed player that is more like, let’s say, Bella style. Yeah, that’s why Bella, just like Bella is, let’s say it’s like forehand on the back inside. That’s why if you check, all his partners are lefties that, that do the job of the backend player.

Minter Dial: El Matador.

Ksenia Sharifova: Exactly. And the lefty players like Coel Lima, Juan Martin, Diaz or lefties because they finish the point and Bella prepares the point.

Minter Dial: That’s it.

Ksenia Sharifova: So, when I play on the forehand side, I know I have to be sure that my, my partner is very aggressive because I don’t get to play that many balls as I want to. Like last year I played with Marilo, I played on the forehand side and I really enjoyed it because she’s very powerful player, she has a lot of winners, So, I can help her. Also, as I hear backhand players and also myself appreciate when forehand side player can also make winners.

Minter Dial: Yeah, of course.

Ksenia Sharifova: Because it gets this burden out of me that I Have to win all, everything, you know, because if I’m not good today, I don’t feel well. I don’t have this feeling, good feeling with the Smash. Everything like depends on me. So, I have to force myself. I can just start to push the ball. Especially when, when we play against top eight players, top eight top teams, it’s impossible. You have to have some, something, some winner. So, yeah, right now I play on the backend side because my forehand partner, she, she’s very solid. She likes to construct the point. She doesn’t have So, many winners. So, I have to, I have to make winners myself and she prepares the point for me. But in the future, I think, I think I would like to play on the forehand side because I can provide this, this punch for the game, especially against left hand players.

Minter Dial: Sort of like a. Mike Yangwas exactly. Has a strong punch on the right side. Sweet. So, one of the things that’s intriguing for, especially for us outside is how do you choose your partner? Obviously it’s a very tricky topic because it’s, it’s something of a, a relationship that you have to have with your partner and to. Sometimes it feels like swings and roundabouts and lots of changes all over the place. And you, you kind of imagine from the outside that there’s a lot of talking, whispering, you know, in the, in the corridor outside of the, the cafeteria, hey, let’s talk. And I imagine there’s a lot of that because, you know, it’s like a dance or something. Do you want to dance with me? And you know, you’re nervous about going to the other person because you’re breaking their couple, you’re breaking your couple. How’s that been for you? How challenging is it for you to find a good partner?

Ksenia Sharifova: I think when you start playing it’s easier because there are more players. When, when I started playing qualifications, I had a lot of options. So, I was, as my coach said, try not to build like long term relationship, work relationship because you will change. You, you will change a lot because you have to explore. You have to try to play with this forehand player always left. You won with this one. You have to play on the right side, on the left side. So, just go and explore. You don’t have to build commitment right now because you just starting playing. So, unless you practice with this person and you train together and you’re enjoying to play together and you can actually work things on the court because you work the same system, maybe, yes, you can keep playing a lot of tournaments, but my coach Said, no, just go and try this two months with this one, then with this one, then with this one. So, before I was changing a lot. Now it’s very hard when we are only 30 players in the world, 15 backend players, 15 forehand players. So, we don’t have much choice. We have to go with the best options available. And as you say, there’s a lot of whispering. And nowadays my coach, he lived a lot of tours, he lived professional pilot to world pilot tour and now premier. And he says that before, if you choose a partner on a professional level, you keep to playing with him for years. And nowadays people change partners every three, four months, professionals. And I think there are a lot of money nowadays, a lot of sponsors. People don’t get, don’t have this patience, they lose patience very much. Like they lose one match that they weren’t supposed to lose. They started to doing some stuff that they speak to. Not the one player, another one, another one. As you said, there are a lot of times that a girl or the boy, he plays with his partner, he thinks that everything is alright. And then someone comes and he says, do you know that your partner is talking to this one? It’s like, why no. Yes, I heard a rumor that he’s talking to this guy or this girl. And you like start feeling a little bit harsh inside, like why my partner want to abandon me if we doing well? Well, yeah, because there’s a sponsor in between that will pay them more money. So, they. So, there are a lot of rumors like that and from firsthand. I spoke to girls in top and they felt this betrayal. They were very, very mad at their partners. But eventually, like year after, they had to go back and play together because there’s So, few players at the end and they have to like. And you see them in social media or in public and they like a happy couple, but like behind the scenes they still feel this betrayal inside. And they like you can see them to have dinner separately or they don’t get along with each other. They work great because at the end of the day they’re professionals and they know what their work is. But out of the court they’re like, oh, I can’t stand this person. Like I felt So, bad like last year with, with him it was her and. But they have to work like this. It’s hard, it’s hard. My coach said the first day that I practiced, he said, look, defense, this double wall, this chiquita shot, this lob is very easy. You know what is the hardest thing in pado is to find your other half because he, he said you will struggle So, much with partners, like prepare yourself because this, this world is very harsh and this is this very difficult.

Minter Dial: I can only imagine. I mean, you know, that. Which obviously helps because communication is So, important. And if I, you know, if I had to listen to everything you said there and we just swapped in wife or husband instead of partner. I mean, as in love match. It feels exactly the same. I mean, in the old days, we used to get married and we lived together, married for a long time. I’ve been married for 30 years. But today we don’t want to get married. We get married late. We want to. We want to, you know, see what’s out there. I mean, which is all healthy, explore, etc. But then at some point, commitment. Oh, my gosh. But we’re not going to go further in that. That. But you opened up a lot about that. That was lovely. In terms of your padel, I mean, unless you wanted to comment that, of course, Ksenia, you’re welcome to continue. But in, in terms of your padel, what, what’s your favorite shot?

Ksenia Sharifova: Oh, my favorite shot, I would say my favorite shot is Vibura, like a fast slice smash down the line.

Minter Dial: Down the line. So.

Ksenia Sharifova: Yeah, but.

Minter Dial: So, you mean down the line on the left.

Ksenia Sharifova: On the left, exactly.

Minter Dial: Right, well.

Ksenia Sharifova: Or the brother down the line. On the right. Both down the lines.

Minter Dial: Oh, right. Yeah, because I like it very much on the right.

Ksenia Sharifova: Yeah. Because sometimes you can even do triple wall. You know, it’s. It’s touch the sidewall, back wall, side wall.

Minter Dial: Comes back to.

Ksenia Sharifova: Yeah, yeah. So, as a background player, when forehand player does this shot, the ball is like So, next to the, to the glass that you like, you can’t touch it. It’s very, it’s very tricky shot. So, both sides down the line. I love that almost all the time. It’s a winner or next point on next boy can do a winner.

Minter Dial: Yeah. I mean, the end of the day, I mean, of course, you know this, but we’re not trying to make the winner every time. It’s about sometimes setting up, you know, like.

Ksenia Sharifova: Yeah, exactly.

Minter Dial: Three shots later. What about a shot that you, Ksenia, are working on?

Ksenia Sharifova: Lob, Lo. Not because technically I do something wrong, but because I choose wrong sometimes. Yeah, sometimes they’re both. That I think is good for the lob, but it’s not good because it’s too fast. So, I hit it bad. Not because my technique is wrong, but because the ball is So, heavy, So, fast or the Court is very slippery or the ball is very, like, with a lot of slice. So, I can’t hit hard. The ball, I can hit it right. So, my lob is short. And sometimes I get frustrated, like, oh, again, short lob. Like, I’m So, bad something went wrong. I think my racket or my, I don’t know, my, my grip, something. And my coach said, no, no, no, no. It’s because this ball wasn’t supposed to be a low. You had to play hard from drive low, like drive or backhand low to the body. And maybe next one, when the player blocks it and the ball is more comfortable, you can hit a lot. So, I think this is my struggle right now. And especially against top players, when you don’t choose the right ball for the lob, it gets very hard to play against them because they choose. Like almost every time they chose, they choose the right ball for the lob. So, their quality of the lob is better than ours. That’s why there is such difference. Maybe sometimes, yes. As I say that all the time. Yeah, I make winners. Doesn’t matter, because if my lope isn’t good and their loop is good, that’s it, I’m done. I can do winners because they choose the good law. So, I’m always uncomfortable. And every time I’m in defense, I choose wrong. And they make winners. So, it’s very important lop. And I’m, I’m working hard on it.

Minter Dial: I, you know, of course, when you, you play with tennis players, I just did a match this morning, and my, my partner was a very good tennis player, but the idea of a lob was sort of an anathema to him, not something that he really wanted to do. And what about communication? So, we’ve talked a little bit about the idea of partnership and, and, and, and, and how sensitive it is off the court. I mean, frankly, I wanted to just circle back on one point, which is, if it’s not happening off the court, how does that partnership. I mean, you say you were pros, but how can that partnership really succeed if you’ve had too much bad blood in the past?

Ksenia Sharifova: I think it comes with experience, because I see all the time girls from qualifications, they get So, mad at their partners and they just stop playing. They can’t, they can’t work, they can’t compete. They are not ready for this kind of situations. But top players, they’re ready because they already lived it. They know what’s going on, and they know that this is sacrifice that have. They have to make to be able to work. It’s not always the same. There are couples that, partners that are very nice friends and they manage to keep going forward and they trust each other and they talk truth all the time. Like, look, if someone from top five or top ten calls me, be ready that I will leave you. And the partner understands. Like right now, my partner and I, Mart and I, we talked about this. Like, we talked about these betrayals and people that leave for a better option. And we talked about some situations that happened to our friends and other players. And I said, like, this girl got So, pissed at her partner because Del Fibrea, for example, called her partner and asked to play with her for two tournaments. And then when she wanted to play again with her other partner, she said, no, no, no, no, you went to play with Delphi, So, bye, bye. And I said, marta, I don’t think that it’s good because for my personal grow, growth, it’s good that I play with Delphi. Like, if I can play with Delphi and I can do a better result and then I go back again with my partner, we will get more points and, and she understands it. And we said to each other, like, if someone from top calls us, like, we are ready, that we have to accept that our partner, me on her will play with this player and other one have to find another partner for one, two, three weeks. But it comes with, I think, personality, it comes with experience. And there are a lot of situations now, a more level, more important, more top players, more difficult situations. But I think people try to manage it and work and live with it because there’s no other option. Is this or nothing.

Minter Dial: It sounds like having an open marriage at some level. It’s, is having that openness to, to communicate about it. And it would just bring up this, the notion of, of mental health. Because, you know, it’s, it’s one thing to be able to partition and sort of put it aside, let’s play pro. But you know, you’ve got to deal with these sort of things on and off the court. You’re traveling together, you’re, you’re in Dubai as we speak. And, And so, you’re, you know, you’re a lot of, there’s a lot of aloneness or, or just within the circuit. How do you manage? Because one of the things that made you stop playing tennis was you had the financial burden. Of course, it’s expensive at the beginning when you’re not getting to the, you know, the Masters and all that. Then there was the, the, the, the, the, the Physical condition, health, and then there’s mental health. So, what sort of tricks and tips do you have for keeping yourself in a good mind?

Ksenia Sharifova: If you know this famous question, like, what would you say to your younger self? Like, now I’m 28, what would you say to yourself? 18 years old? No. So, I had So, many bad moments mentally. I had So, many breakdowns. I quit tennis. So, many times. Like, I quit the standings. I don’t want to play. Padel as well, I think, I don’t know, maybe 20 times I said it that I quit Padel, I hate it. I don’t, I don’t deserve. I don’t supposed to play it. I don’t feel like it. Like there are going to be bad moments, they’re going to be bad situations, they’re going to be mental breakdowns. And I think the most important thing that differentiate top players and other players is their team. Because they are not alone. Because it looks like we’re playing in like team. We are two. But my partner, she has her team, she has her family, her coach, her physical coach, her psychologist. And I have my coach, I have my team, I have my friends, I have my people that support me. So, every time I, I’m in a bad shape, I go to them and if they, they’re able to maintain me, then I’m. I’m able to get back on my feet and continue playing. That’s what differentiates top players. Like if you go to the tournament and by the way, if you want to come to some tournaments, I can get your accreditation So, you can be with us. You know, you just call, you just call me. I would like to go to Rome or Rolando something. Okay. And if you like with, with players in the players room and you see qualification level of players and first two rounds, I’m with my partner all the time because we’re all alone. We don’t have anyone. We have a coach. But like my coach is my personal coach. But her coach, he also have two, I think two boys teams and one or two more girls teams. So, we’re like five teams that we share one coach. So, it’s not like her coach, personal coach. Like when my coach travels, he’s always with us. He’s only with us. He trains with us, he. All his concentration is with us. So, this what I think is differentiate me from other girls that have my level because I have my personal coach. I have a person that I can be confident with and I know that he supports only me because when I always say, like, what Happens if we play against your friend from the academy. What happens? Sure. Oh, no, we don’t get a coach. I was like, ah, So, we’re going to play along when our, your coach is on the fence looking at the match and we’re not going to be able to talk to him. Oh, no, no. Because we play against my friend from the academy. Like, okay, okay, okay. So, I always prefer that Michael travels because I know that he’s with me all the time. So, this is the most important part. And when you see top players in the players room, like for example, Ari and Paola, Ari has her team on the tournament and Paola has her team on the tournament, they are like separate all the time. They are protected by their teams and they’re separate. They work together and then they separate each other from each other and they are with their team that protects them. You can see also Gemma and Delphi, they’re like, they’re sometimes together but they’re separate because they have their own team. Martita and Sofia also most of the time both coaches travel. So, they like separate each other. Like they still, they are eating in separate places and they are like Paola and Ari. Sometimes they even practice separate. Like Ari practice with her coach and Paula practice with her coach and her, I don’t know, some girls that she likes. So, is this. And then qualification players, we just like, we’re supposed to stick with each other because we don’t have anyone. So, this is, this is the way that top players can manage all the pressure and all the bad moments because they, they are well protected.

Minter Dial: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. And this is something, these are sort of things you don’t really see from the outside. It’s. We, we don’t see the subtlety of what you’re talking about. Of course I talk with some of my pro friends and hear about this, but that’s fascinating. So, just a couple more questions if I could. Senya.

Ksenia Sharifova: Yeah, of course.

Minter Dial: For example, you offline, you said that your favorite players are Gemma and Alejandro. Why? Why these two players? So, obviously they’re both quite good players. They play on the left. But what is it about them that attracts them to you?

Ksenia Sharifova: I think Galan, he was the first player that I saw when I started playing Padel because my coach said, meanwhile, you work on reception, please turn on padel, look in YouTube for padel matches and watch them. And I said, gemma, because right now, Gemma, for me, the way she plays, it’s unbelievable. The way she moves, the way she. Sometimes when you see on the TV you can feel the, the speed of the bow, but when you see the game on the court, like life. She plays sometimes So, slow, but she closes all the spaces. So, I like it very much about her. And she always chooses the right moment to hit the lobe. She always, like, if she wants to put the lobe on this, like square meter, all lobs goes there. It’s unbelievable. Like the control of the ball and the way she moves, the way she closes everything. I like it very much. So, I’m. I’m always like sitting behind her and I just look how she moves. I try to cope it. But like before, before, like my first pro Padel player that I was looking at was Marta Marrero. So, you can imagine the excitement for me last year when I started to play with her, because I knew what she was doing all the time. Because, like all year I was looking all her matches. And other player that I saw was Ali Garan, because when Morelo, her match in YouTube finished, then Galan started to play. And I saw this power, this, this movement, the way he. He positions himself. And I was like, oh, my God, I want to play like them, like, like him. Because the way he do vibra, the way he choose the boy, the way he. He saw, he has. He’s very tall and he’s very strong. So, I felt a little bit like not like him, but I also feel like I’m one of the tallest in the, in the tour, and I’m one of the. I have like a big, big back. So, I feel like I’m more huge, let’s say, than other girls. Like when I stand, even with Gemma, when I stand next to Gemma, I feel like Gemma is So, small and like she looks bigger on the tv, I think because of her hair. She has a very long hair, So, she looks taller and bigger. But in life she’s like smaller than me. And with Galan, I felt the same. Like I saw him playing, I was like, I want to be like him. I want to play like Marilo, because she had this back end. She was a tennis player and she hits hard. She was hitting smash all the time. And so, it was unbelievable. So, I was like learning. And then the Lana also. And sometimes now when I see everything he does, it’s unbelievable.

Minter Dial: That is So, sure, such fun to watch. And I, I certainly would like to take you up on your offer just before. We’ll get to that afterwards. But last question. So, this is the Joy of Padel. And I get the feeling that padel brings you joy. At least it’s It’s. I mean, of course, you’ve had the 20 times you want to stop, but we can understand that. What is it that you think describes the joy that padel brings? Why is it such a joyful sport?

Ksenia Sharifova: Well, for me, as a extensive player, for me, the joy is to compete is to feel this. This feeling of the competition preparation during the match, right before the match, when I’m still nervous. Like, I get nervous. It’s like when I say it’s to someone outside of sport, I say, oh, I’m So, nervous right now. And he said, why, if you played, like, thoUSAnds of matches in tennis and Pado. But this feeling is beautiful feeling because you can. You can, like, channel it to energy and, oh, when it’s like an important point and. And I have to receive because I have. We have to make a breakpoint. I don’t know. And I feel like, oh, I can miss this. This return. And this feeling is. It’s nice. Like, it’s scary. But at the end of the day, I feel like I need it. I need this kind of feeling. And I. When I travel and I play tournaments, and when the tournament finishes and I have to go home, I was like, I want to go back to play because I want to go back and feel this. This adrenaline because I lost it when I stopped playing tennis. I lost it, and then I regained it again in Padel. So, I really appreciate this competition feeling. And then also the Joy of Padel. Especially Padel. Like, one of the favorite questions, what are the difference for you between tennis and Padel? Like, do you enjoy Padel and stuff? Like, the truth is that I enjoy Padel more than tennis because I feel like Padel is like a chess game. Like, the real joy for me also in Padel is like, when everything is going right, like, when you feel everything, you know, the gay. You feel the game, you feel your partner. You know, this bow goes here. This one is. Go here. You can see everything because you can. You can. You can get. You have to understand what your partner is doing, and you have to also control your opponents. So, when everything is in check or. This feeling is unbelievable. When you, like, flow now everything is flowing. Like, everything is beautiful. You’re, like, in the zone. This feeling is wise, great. It’s not. I can’t get in this feeling all the time, but if I feel like I. I warm up and I play first game, and I know today I will get this feeling, and today I will win. I don’t. I don’t care who I have in front of me. I know that today I’m going to win because I have this feeling. It’s beautiful. It’s like real joy when you get this feeling. So, this. Yeah, this is power, because for me, Pado, it’s So, much complete as a sport because it’s everything. It’s tactic, strategy. It’s. It’s the way you put the ball. It’s very important to put bow this way, this way, this slice, this spin. It depends on the spin. You have to close the net. You have to go back, you have to move with your partners. Like, when you see. When you see two people, like, really connected on the court, it’s beautiful.

Minter Dial: It is. And you know, you. Like, I. When I had this type of shot last time, what did I do? I went. I did a little chiquita. All right. This time, I got to do in love. Change it around. You have to remember.

Ksenia Sharifova: Yeah, yeah.

Minter Dial: Wow. Cassia, been a tremendous pleasure. Thank you for doing this with me. I. I love chatting with you to hear all these stories. Wish you great luck in Dubai and continuing on, and I will surely see you in the real sometime soon. Vamos. Thank you So, much, Kasenia.

Ksenia Sharifova: Thank you very much.