Nicky Horn and Sally Fisher, two adventure-seeking members of the GB Seniors team, recently flew to Morocco to play in a padel tournament in Casablanca. Their trip was to prove memorable for a variety of reasons, as it coincided with the devastating earthquake that struck the country and cost thousands of lives.
Our regular columnist Nicky (GB international and coach at Surge Padel, Rawdon, Ilkley and Chapel Allerton in Yorkshire) takes up the story…
When myself and Sally decided to combine our love for padel with our love of adventure and new encounters, we could not have anticipated the very mixed events of our trip to Casablanca to play in the International Senior Padel Tour tournament in early September.
We flew from Leeds Bradford Airport in the midst of the late summer heatwave to Malaga. Our journey continued by car to Tarifa, ferry to Tangier and train to Casablanca.
What convinced us that all that travel would be worthwhile was the opportunity to compete against players we’d never met and whose padel had developed in different ways to the UK. Inspired by the rapid growth of female sport in Morocco, we were keen to show our support and meet some of the female athletes trailblazing sporting opportunities for women in Northern Africa.
One of the original 1980’s World Padel Tour players, Argentinian Rocque Roasio, runs the International Senior Padel Tour worldwide, and his Casablanca tournament seemed like the perfect opportunity.
The adventure became more than just a padel tournament and cultural adventure when, tragically, Morocco was hit by a devastating earthquake that same weekend. Although we were some 200 miles from the epicentre, the quake roared under the 15-storey tournament hotel like a huge freight train, and the quake-proof building swayed so intensely that loose furniture moved, metal coat hangers rattled and it was dizzying to stand up.
Many in Casablanca decided to sleep the rest of that night in the streets and morning revealed that local homes had been damaged by the effects of the quake and its aftershocks.
Before we went, we had no idea what to expect in the city best known to tourists for the 1942 film of the same name. We found a city of two halves – an industrial city with new buildings, ports and squares – then a poor run down medina with crumbling houses and real poverty. It was these areas that were worst affected by the quake.
Neither did we know what to expect of the padel. Would they be too strong for us? We knew many of the top players in the country would be playing and we knew everyone would be younger than us?. Being a new sport, would there just be a couple of courts in the country and only a handful of players? As a Muslim country, did we need to dress differently to the way we would compete in the UK? We just didn’t know what to expect.
When, in the middle of the night the earthquake rocked the hotel, we knew we were experiencing a natural disaster. What were we to do? With such destruction and death was it respectful to continue to play in ‘just a padel tournament?’
As dawn broke, we found Casablanca keen to carry on as normal where possible, but desperately concerned for their fellow countrymen and women in Marrakech and the Atlas region to its south. They told us it would be impossible to get to some of the isolated villages and they feared the worst for them.
But still the Grand Taxi drivers wanted the business and were keen to take us to the padel venue some 15 kms away. Arriving at VGK Padel we found a high-quality, four-court padel venue which was just the same as our courts I know so well at Rawdon, Ilkley or Chapel Allerton.
Raoul, Hassan and Rocko, the organisers, welcomed us and we went on court to play the Moroccan champions. Yes – we talked about the earthquake, but as often happens when disasters occur in one part of a country, life goes on elsewhere and the players welcomed us to their tournament as friends.
We found players of great competitive spirit, who had been taking their padel training and competing very seriously for at least three years, with many travelling regularly to Spain for the top coaching they could get on the southern coast.
The standard of play was fantastic and very even, with most sets in everyone’s matches being 6-4 on the first day. We met ‘The Girls From Rabat,’ players from a number of the private clubs in Casablanca and also other parts of Morocco. In the men’s categories, players had even flown in from Argentina, Egypt and Mallorca.
Padel is thriving both for men and women in the big cities of Morocco. Everyone was so friendly, so pleased to welcome overseas players and to play competitive padel with great sporting spirit. We experienced warm hospitality from everyone.
Despite being in a different continent, with a different way of life, during a disaster, padel brought us together with our shared love of the game – hitting, moving, thinking, sharing, laughing. Thank you Morocco, VGK, ISPT, Padel at 40, and all the players – we are so grateful for the opportunity you gave us.
When you come to Yorkshire, we will be ready for a game. We also want to continue travelling to new places playing padel, because padel is a sport which is open to all – irrelevant of gender, age or religion and we want to promote this female, ageless sport in new places. We continue to think of those still struggling with the after-effects of the earthquake and are keen to support the rescue and repair efforts as best we can.
