The Oranje world of Jacco Eltingh, hero of the Slams: “Former tennis players are not enough, we need the ‘natives’ of padel to grow”

Now that he holds an institutional role, the court is no longer his main stage. But Jacco Eltingh’s eyes still light up whenever he stands courtside to watch the Netherlands‘ team at the FIP World Padel Championships in Doha. The former world No. 1 in doubles tennis — winner of all four Grand Slams, including two titles at the Australian Open and Roland Garros — is currently the technical director of the KNLTB, the Dutch tennis and padel federation, where he oversees athlete and program development. It’s a privileged position to understand where padel is heading in emerging countries like the Netherlands. “In the short term, we’re a team that aims to play in all the major championships”, he explained after the “Oranje” men’s team match against Paraguay. “With the women’s team, we’re among the top 5 or 6 teams in Europe, and here we reached the quarterfinals. Overall, we have a team that can compete with the best nations and gain valuable experience, as we’re doing here in Qatar. In the long term, however, we’re building a program from the ground up: we need to start from the youth level, where the youngest players begin to learn and then grow gradually”.

Developing the new generation is vital for several reasons. The first, Eltingh continued, is that “so far, many players have been transitioning from tennis to padel. But this won’t be sustainable in the long term: at some point, we need players who are born into padel, true ‘padel natives’ who choose to play padel from the start”. The path is long, but the progress made in six years — since the sport first gained ground in the country — has been substantial: “Today we have 460 clubs and 2,500 courts”, he continued. “We have many students between 18 and 23 who play very well and have decided to dedicate themselves entirely to padel. The movement is clearly growing, and the future is bright”.

THE TEAMWORK EXPERIENCE Another excellent example of this trend is Sweden, one of the most promising emerging countries according to Eltingh. “I see young pairs who are incredibly skilled. Many come from junior tournaments, and here they’re already playing at a high level, showing the right mix of youth and experience”. It’s no coincidence that another former doubles tennis great, Jonas Bjorkman – with whom Elthingh won one of his two Australian Open titles – is coaching the Swedish team and has reunited with him here in Doha. The teamwork experience on the court is reflected in their ability to convey it to young athletes: “Yes, it influences my work. In doubles, you experience everything together — the tough times, the excitement, the fatigue — you always have to interact with your partner. It includes managing yourself, from waking up to the time of the match, which might be played late at night. I can teach the young players something: I see if they work well together, if they’re connected, if they’re nervous in important moments, if they make good or bad choices. That’s what I try to do to help them and the coaching staff”.

In addition to training, Eltingh enjoys getting on the court himself: “I really enjoy playing padel; I often play with my sons, who are now 26, 25, and 23 years old”. And with his former partner Bjorkman? “We played together once, a few years ago during Wimbledon. We were on a boat, guests of a well-known English gentleman. I’m not kidding — it was an enormous yacht, 95 meters long, and we were cruising the Thames. It was so big it even had a padel court. We played there, and it was a lot of fun”.