Gabriel Spriet-Lavenent is bringing fresh energy to Bali’s padel scene. As Canggu Padel’s new head coach, he combines a deep passion for the sport with his coaching expertise, eager to inspire players of all levels.
In this exclusive interview, Spriet delves into his personal journey with padel, sharing insights and professional tips to elevate your game. Whether you’re a seasoned player or a curious newcomer, his story offers a compelling glimpse into the dynamic world of padel in Bali.
Hi Gabriel, thanks so much for joining us today!
Gabriel: Hello, thank you so much for having me! I’m very excited to be here.
For those who might not know you yet, can you tell us a bit about yourself — where you’re from and how old you are.
Gabriel: Of course! I’m Gabriel Spriet-Lavenent, originally from Saint-Tropez, in the South of France, and I’m 23 years old.
That’s such a beautiful part of the world! You’ve had an incredible journey as a padel coach. Let’s start at the beginning — how did you first discover padel, and what made you fall in love with the sport?
Gabriel: I was introduced to padel when I was just 4 years old. At the time, I was also heavily involved in tennis and started competing by the age of 16. Unfortunately, I had a major injury that forced me to take a break from playing. After recovering, I completed my D.E.J.E.P.S. Level 2 Tennis Certification at 18 and began coaching at a tennis facility back in the South of France. They eventually opened a padel court — the second one in all of France at the time — and that’s when I really started playing padel.
And at the time padel was still quite new in France?
Gabriel: Yeah, padel was still quite new. It was around 6 years ago now, and it was completely new, no one in France was playing padel by then. I started playing to have fun and then really enjoyed it — it was really really cool. So I continued playing, hosted a few tournaments in France, which was something relatively new. And once Padel certifications became available, I joined and passed after a year, got it, and began coaching padel!
How’d you move on afterwards?
Gabriel: I then became the manager of two padel facilities in Aix-en-Provence, France, and eventually continued coaching and training in different places, which brought me to where I am today.
Do you have anyone or anything that has been your biggest inspiration in the world of padel? Could be a famous player, a coach, or even a personal mentor.
Gabriel: Honestly, when I first started playing padel, I really enjoyed it, to the point that I couldn’t play tennis anymore. I was so happy playing it all the time. And I saw a huge opportunity in padel — I knew it would become a booming sport and that everyone would be playing soon. I even tried opening a padel club.
Oh, no way!
Gabriel: Yeah, it was just hard to get the financing since it’s quite expensive [laughs]. But the main reason I wanted to open the club was because of the opportunity I saw in the padel market.
That’s interesting! Do you have a favourite player or a mentor who has influenced you along the way?
Gabriel: My favourite padel player is Tapia, Agustín Tapia. And I also really love Chingotto, Federico Chingotto. Both Argentinian players!
Yeah, they’re currently among the best players in the world according to the International Padel Federation Rankings. Could you tell us, outside of padel, what do you do? What keeps you energised outside the court?
Gabriel: I do a lot of surfing and boxing in my free time. They’re two sports I really enjoy.
Where do you usually surf?
Gabriel: Batu Bolong, it’s one of my favourite areas to surf. I’ve been surfing for a year and a half and I really enjoy it.
Yeah, Bali has so many places to surf. There are also lots of beaches for different levels — beginner, intermediate, advanced; there’s something for everyone really.
Gabriel: Yeah, I’ve also surfed a lot in France and in Portugal when I went on holiday. Portugal is really nice; life is super chill there. Since it’s an ocean destination, it’s very affordable and a cool place to live.
For sure, I really want to visit Portugal one day. Do you have a specific kind of music taste or an artist that you really like?
Gabriel: Yeah! I actually really like listening to The Weeknd. He’s one of my favourite artists and I really enjoy his music.
So back to the topic of padel, what’s one thing that you wish every Padel player knew? It could be like a mindset, tip or trick.
Gabriel: When tennis players start playing padel, they tend to forget that they’re not on a tennis court. You really have to adapt your play style. Try to play with the glass, play very slowly, don’t try to use your wrist and brush the ball like you do in tennis. Just try to play flat, go to the net — even though you’re going to make mistakes in the beginning — don’t stay at the back too much. This is for everyone, but aim to play with people who know the tactics and the rules of padel.
Yeah, tennis and padel are two very different sports, even though they’re both racket sports. The padel movement is different from the tennis movement. I mean, even when I started playing padel, I used to play a lot of badminton, and I kept doing the badminton wrist movement until one of my coaches corrected me and showed me how to do it properly.
Gabriel: Yeah for sure, they’re different movements. So, if you’re a tennis player, don’t try playing tennis! [Laughs] You really have to adapt your technique and tactics to padel quickly. If not, you’re gonna stick with habits that will be difficult to change in the future.
Oh Gabriel please tell us — have you ever had a funny or awkward moment when playing padel?
Gabriel: Oh, this one’s quite funny. When I was working in Singapore, I was playing with three tennis coaches who were friends of mine. There was a high ball coming above my head, and my friend from the opposite team knew I was going to aim at him, so he ducked down and covered himself with his racket. I hit the ball to him, but it ended up bouncing off the racket, went back to our court, and his team actually ended up getting the point!
Oh no, [laughs] so his team ended up getting the point!
Gabriel: Yeah unfortunately, it was a point for them! It was really funny.
Oh no, I actually had a friend who hit his own nose with his racket and started bleeding mid-game.
Gabriel: Oh no, [laughs] that happens quite often actually! Especially when you want to hit the ball, and hit it with a contra (when you hit the ball against the glass), and you’re in a tricky position in the corner of the court, it could go back and hit you in the face. It happened to me once. Not very fun to deal with, but yeah, it happens.
Did you bleed as well?
Gabriel: No no, no blood!
[Laughs] okay getting back into the padel technicals. Do you have a favourite padel shot? If so, what is it and why do you like it?
Gabriel: I would have to say the vibora. Because I play more on the left side, and once I feel it, it can be a very good shot.
I feel like it’s also a very satisfying shot to hit when you hit it right. The sound of hitting the ball and the way the ball goes, it’s just a really good shot.
Gabriel: Yep, it definitely is.
If you could play a padel game with anyone in the world, who would it be? Anyone in the world? Doesn’t have to be a padel player.
Gabriel: Oh no, this is a hard question. Who? Um…
Who would you play with on the court? Give us three other players.
Gabriel: Oh wow. Even one is difficult and now you’re asking me for three! [Laughs]
Yeah, so that it could be the four of you on the court! [Laughs]
Gabriel: I really have to think about this one…
Don’t worry, take your time!
Gabriel: That’s quite difficult… Uh, let’s play with Brad Pitt.
Brad Pitt? Why him?
Gabriel: Oh, he’s so funny. And he looks like me! I’ll also add Rafael Nadal.
Oh, that’s a really good one!
Gabriel: Yeah! Oh, I need one more… Let’s play with Lionel Messi as well… Actually, I don’t know [laughs], let me think.
Okay, okay…
Gabriel: Uh, let me think of someone who’s French… I don’t know. Okay okay, last one let’s go. Let’s play with Tapia.
Oh, good choice!
Gabriel: But I’ll play against him, not with him. That’ll make the game more exciting, I want him to destroy me.
[Laughs] okay, okay. If you weren’t a padel coach, what would you be doing instead?
Gabriel: I think I would be doing something in the finance industry. I’d get into crypto, or maybe even the financial sector. Now that I’ve got some background in it, I should be working on that too. [Laughs]
Where did you learn about it?
Gabriel: I was looking into the market quite a bit, and I put some money into it. I’ve also met so many people from my hometown who have made a lot of money from it. You can definitely see that the money is there. Both in cryptocurrency and the finance sector in general, you can earn a lot of money in that industry.
Yeah, there’s definitely a lot of money in that industry. My next question to you is, what made you decide to move to Bali?
Gabriel: The lifestyle definitely. Also surfing, and I knew that there was a growing padel community here. I feel like life here is chill and more laid back.
You lived in Singapore before, what would you say is the main difference between living in Singapore and living in Bali?
Gabriel: The biggest difference I notice is the people. People here are so open and willing to help, there’s a lot of good vibes all around the island. I feel like in Singapore, people aren’t as open, more closed off, and not that many good vibes. [Laughs]
And have you had any chance to explore Bali? What’s your favourite place so far in the island
Gabriel: I haven’t explored the island much so far, but until now, my favourite place is still Canggu. I’ve been to the Uluwatu area and visited Lombok briefly. But honestly, my favourite area so far has been Batu Bolong.
If you’re really into surfing, padel, and the lifestyle, I feel like Canggu is the perfect place to be. There’s lots of things to do, and you can meet a lot of people as well.
Gabriel: Yep, for sure.
Back to padel, what advice would you give to someone picking up a padel racket for the first time?
Gabriel: Play with people who know the sport, or pick up a coach who can teach you the basics.
How important is it to get a coach when you’re starting out?
Gabriel: It’s really important. Getting a coach can give you the tips and tricks when you’re just starting. A coach can throw you in the right direction and help you build a foundation that will really help you in becoming a better padel player. If you start playing with no knowledge of padel, and don’t have a coach or someone who knows the sport well to teach you the basics, then it’s definitely going to be difficult.
Yeah, it’ll definitely be easier to keep progressing as a padel player if you already have a solid foundation, whether you were taught by a professional coach or someone who plays a lot.
Gabriel: Even simple things like counting the points, padel positioning, whether the ball is in or out, and how to hold the racket — those are key things that need to be built on a strong foundation for you to progress.
I agree, I think it’s super important.
Gabriel: It doesn’t even have to be a professional coach. It could just be someone who plays the sport a lot, intermediate or advanced. As long as they know the tactics, it’s super important in the beginning. You know, if you’re staying at the back the whole time near the glass, then you’re not really playing padel — you’re just pushing the ball.
Yeah, makes sense. Actually, which padel racket shape would you recommend for first-timers?
Gabriel: Depending on your level and which side of the court you play in. If you’ve played tennis before, I recommend you get a teardrop-shaped padel racket. And if you’ve never played tennis or any racket sports before, take up a round-shaped padel racket — it’s much easier and you can feel much more control of the ball.
The round racket is definitely much easier to play if you’re just starting off. As a coach, what’s one thing that you want people to take away from your coaching?
Gabriel: I think the main takeaway I want them to have is to have fun on the court. To really enjoy padel and eventually play more often. I feel like people come to play padel to play first, not to train — they come to play a game. And then once they’ve developed their skills further and they wanna progress, you work on technique and tactics, and start training.
Also, padel is such a social sport, you know. It’s a really fun and exciting sport to play with people; friends, family, and others. People play padel to have fun, and anyone can play it, really — people from all ages.
Gabriel: Yeah, sure. I fully agree with you.
Alright, that’s a wrap up of our interview. Thank you so much for sharing your journey, Gabriel! It’s been great to hear your insights and stories — from discovering your love of padel to ending up all the way in Bali. We’re excited to see you out on the court helping others discover their interest in padel.
Gabriel: Thank you so much for having me. I look forward to sharing my passion for padel with more players here in Canggu Padel and in Bali!
For any bookings at Canggu Padel, find us at the Playtomic App. If you’d like to book a session with Coach Gabriel, you can do so by contacting us on WhatsApp here. Thank you and see you on the court!
