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With a series of video portraits, TV journalist Sibylle Tiessen takes us on a captivating journey into a world full of exciting projects, cultural diversity and authentic stories on Mallorca. Supported by TUI, the TUI Care Foundation and Majorca Daily Bulletin, viewers learn more about the island from a whole new perspective, from inspiring stories of locals to social, artistic, ecological, scientific and political aspects.
Episode 21: Alicia Cañellas: “There is a real padel boom in Mallorca”
Alicia Cañellas has black hair in a plait, slightly tanned skin. She also likes to read and listen to music. Behind Cañella's looks is a young sportswoman with ambitions; the 17-year-old plays padel, a popular trend sport in Spain, and has already won several tournaments.
Padel could be described as a mixture of squash and tennis. Like squash, it is played in an enclosed space with a net in the centre of the court. The walls of the court are an integral part of the technique-orientated game, in which players are allowed to hit the ball even after it has bounced off a wall.
Her father, who founded the training centre in 2005, introduced Alicia and her sister to the sport. Alicia's sister was already a world champion in padel. "She will always be a role model for me," says the younger sister. “I want to follow the same path as her”.
According to Alicia Cañellas, there is a real boom in padel in Mallorca. A lot of people are playing this trendy sport. The game originated in Mexico at the end of the 1960s, from where it came to Spain in 1974. Today, padel is the second most popular sport here and in Argentina after football. Beginners are advised to hit the ball against the walls as an important part of padel and to choose shoes specially made for this sport to protect the Achilles tendons.
Find out more in the video below.
