Amongst one of the most random things this year has thrown at us, is Jurgen Klopp playing Padel. The iconic sports equipment company Wilson has revealed a new collection of Padel rackets on which they collaborated with the Liverpool Manager.
Padel is a sport very similar to tennis, but the difference is that the stadium is the same but a little smaller and encased with walls. The players can also play off those walls, but have to let the ball land on the turf once. The sport has shown a lot of growth in recent years as it has made its way to 78 countries with a whopping number of 35,000 courts around the world, according to USPTA.
The German manager has revealed he has garnered quite some affinity for Padel lately and revealed it is his new favourite sport to play. His assistant coach Pepijn Ljinders talked about Klopp and the other staff members finding out about the sport for the first time in Tenerife. The Dutchman has also talked about how Padel helps them relax and feel rejuvenated during the season.
“We sit down on a bench in between two sets and we discuss solutions for football problems. In fact, we do that a lot. When you are constantly playing matches or doing top-level training sessions every day, there is no time to wind down. So these games are the perfect moments to relax. We are playing one versus one,” Ljinders said in an interview with the Mirror.
Klopp played Padel for the first time in a training camp in 2016. Since then, his love and passion for Padel has only grown. Still, many fans are only reacting to this now, after the unveiling of the collaboration in January.
The Wilson x Klopp collection consists of a racket and a bag that will feature the former Bundesliga manager’s signature in black and gold and will cost £380, with the bag itself costing £100. The Proceeds of this collaboration will go into shaping BADIL, a non-profit organization that works as a Resource Center for Palestinian residency.