Kotomi Ozawa: Taking on the World through Padel

I first experienced padel when a tennis senior invited me during my university years. That encounter changed my life significantly. In Spain, where padel is thriving, it is the second most popular sport after soccer, with over 30 million players worldwide. The court is about half the size of a tennis court and surrounded by glass. The depth of the sport, which uses a 360-degree three-dimensional space and diverse tactics, is unforgettable once experienced. Since it is a doubles sport, communication with your partner is key. Because the physical distance between players is close and strategy is not determined solely by speed or power, it can be enjoyed by men and women of all ages.

I started training seriously when I was 21. It took two to three hours round-trip to get to the court, and I spent my travel time studying; it felt nostalgic, like my high school days. Although practice time was limited, fortunately, my competitive results improved steadily, and I became the youngest person to win the national championship in Japan. My experience visiting and training in Spain with the mindset of "Let's go beyond Japan to the home of padel!" further deepened my competitive level and perspective on the sport. In Spain, it was normal to see children gathering to socialize after school or people playing padel while enjoying cafes and bars. I was captivated by this social sport that anyone can enjoy and interact through, and I began to feel strongly that "I wish I had encountered this sooner. I want to spread padel in Japan and develop it into a sport that everyone from children to adults can enjoy." At the same time, as a player, I aimed to become the first from Asia to participate in the highest-level international tournaments and break into the top 50. In 2024, I decided to become the first Asian woman to compete as a professional player.

For six months last year, I was based in Europe and worked hard training with professionals. My days consisted of work, practice, and expeditions in a foreign country with a different language and culture. I also faced the difficulty of managing my livelihood in a foreign land while living as an athlete in a minor sport. At that time, there was no precedent for an Asian woman challenging international tournaments, so I was often looked at with curiosity—people wondering, "From Asia?"—and it was not easy to enter a high-level competitive environment or blend into the local circles. However, gaining match experience in the heart of the sport and having my skills recognized by top-ranked players and coaches brought me great joy and reaffirmed the excitement of taking on the world. As a player, I want to continue challenging myself to break through barriers that no one from Asia has yet achieved. Through global connections, I want to work on promotional activities that combine "sports" that everyone can enjoy with health and international exchange involving world cultures, expanding a warm circle of community.

*Affiliations and titles are those at the time of publication.