Summary

This interview was conducted (in Spanish) while attending the Greenweez Paris Major 2024 in Roland Garros. In this chat, Juanjo Gutierrez, coach of the Spanish men’s national padel team, emphasizes the importance of managing players’ emotions and tactics during matches. He explains that coaches must assess whether to focus on tactical or emotional aspects during the brief 90-second changeovers. Gutierrez stresses the significance of communication, particularly body language, in padel. He notes that a player’s personal problems can significantly impact their performance. When discussing team dynamics, Gutierrez highlights that while shared visions aren’t always necessary, both partners must aspire to be the best to succeed. He also mentions adapting his coaching style for different players, comparing the relationship between padel partners to that of a [married] couple, stating they are “85% the same.” Herewith the transcript of the full interview.

Interview with Juanjo Gutiérrez

Minter Dial: So, the first question, Juanjo, is what happens between the padel coach and the players on the bench, i.e. in the changeovers during a match?

Juanjo Gutierrez: A big part of that work is managing the emotions of the players on the court. And of course, there is a portion of the work that is at a tactical level. Obviously, it’s not very technical. Above all, it’s tactical. You have to assess in a somewhat artisanal way whether you have to work on tactics or emotions.

Minter Dial: How and when do you make the difference?

Juanjo Gutierrez: That depends a bit on how the players are playing the game, how you see them in terms of attitude, how you see them managing the game mentally, tactically, and whether they are technically sharp as well. In other words, it’s a combination of things. You have to read according to your criteria when you have to work more tactically or more emotionally, because you only have 90 seconds on the bench when they changeover every two games.

Minter Dial: In that discussion, you are also referring back to what was said or planned before the match. For example, there was a strategy chosen for each match?

Juanjo Gutierrez: Yes, and the weather conditions, the opponents, and maybe you have to adapt or modify the plan because the game is evolving somewhat differently.

Minter Dial: The weather can change too. For example, it gets windier.

Juanjo Gutierrez: These kinds of things are worked on at each changeover. Also, obviously, you have to let them speak, you have to listen to them, you have to understand what they say. When they say it, at certain pulsations, at a certain intensity, you have to lower or raise the intensity. It’s a bit of a craft.

Minter Dial: And when you talk about emotion, for example, if a player plays less well, you see that he is making mistakes, that there is less confidence. How do you deal with that? What happens? How do you manage that?

Juanjo Gutierrez: Well, first of all, he has to be aware of this reality, himself. Secondly, he has to be clear about the minimum pillars for performing, which are attitude, physical performance and tactical-technical performance. Having these three parts clear, you can still play worse, but if you play well in the important moments, you can make get better results as long as the teammate next to you helps, proposes, and knows how to get out of the way when needed. There are different paths to take; not just one way.

Minter Dial: Yes, of course. And in those moments, for example, it matters how your partner behaves. Of course, there are the braver ones, or…

Juanjo Gutierrez: Maybe he can be more conservative, or he helps you more, or he encourages you more. But in the end, this sport, which is an individual sport played in pairs, has a huge mental factor because it is like a relationship. If you do not know how to manage the mental part well in the important moments, the partnership breaks down. Or if you know how to manage it well in the important moments, then you get ahead. In other words, all of that also applies in the game.

Minter Dial: In everything! Juanjo, how important is communication in padel for you? When and how much?

Juanjo Gutierrez: Communication is key and for me there is one type of communication that is even more important than talking: it’s body language. Body language is very important. You can see it, you can feel it, you can sense it. I can sense if my partner is angry or not, if he is scared or not. If I make a mistake, I know what he feels. If he fails, he does too. Many times you can show what you feel. In other words, for me, communication on a body and vocal level is very important. Surely at a competition level, it will be the most important thing, because the levels of technical and physical preparation are very similar among the players. There is a difference between mental and communicative aspects. And communication outside the court is just as important. If a person who is not capable of transmitting what he feels, it is impossible to help him.

Minter Dial: But you have to adapt to the personality, the emotions at stake?

Juanjo Gutierrez: First, you have to know who you are, what you are like and how you act depending on the situations you experience. And then put it on the table with your partner and you coordinate with the team to see how to work on these types of situations.

Minter Dial: And for example, does it happen to ask if you slept well?

Juanjo Gutierrez: Yes, it is asked. Or at least I ask it!

Minter Dial: What about if you have problems with your girlfriend?

Juanjo Gutierrez: Of course. It affects us. A person with a personal problem, that will have an irremediable impact on the sporting aspect. Why? Because when you compete with a certain level of tension and at a certain heart rate, what you transmit, what you expose, is what you feel inside. When it comes to emotions, there you have no control. You share it with the way you communicate via your body and on a vocal level. Or even if you are calm and at peace inside when you are faced with some kind of problem, even then, obviously, you share it. And there is something else that is very important. There are many players who for a long time think, feel and believe different things. And that generates a big internal discussion because they feel like they don’t know what to answer to certain questions and situations. Why? Because they themselves are not clear about it. Do you want to dedicate yourself to this sport, to this project? Do you want to be number one? Your heart can tell you yes. But maybe your head tells you that you are not ready. Well, your heart and intuition tell you that maybe you can try. But when there is that imbalance between what you think, what you feel and what you truly believe is possible, there is a big gap, a big issue.

Minter Dial: Do teams always need a shared vision?

Juanjo Gutierrez: Not for me, because there is not just one path to a solution. There are many paths.

Minter Dial: But for example, there are some couples who may dream differently about the dream of being number one. But not all of them can dream about that.

Juanjo Gutierrez: Not all of them. However, if both partners don’t think about it, they surely won’t succeed.

Minter Dial: And how much can communication between girls and boys be different?

Juanjo Gutierrez: Oh, we are different as people. Yes, no? We are different. So, the communication is very different. We are people who play a sport well.

Minter Dial: And when you have a female team, how much do you have to change your way versus with a male team?

Juanjo Gutierrez: Totally. Well, you really have to adapt a bit with all the players because each player is different, whether it’s a male or female player. I treat each differently. They are different. You get along differently with each one. You have to act differently, you have to work differently. It is a job, as I said before, that’s very artisanal. That’s why, as a coach, it’s very difficult to take on a lot of players at the same time. You realise this over time. To really do it well, you have to stick to just a few players.

Minter Dial: And for you, how similar is a pair (of players) to a couple at home?

Juanjo Gutierrez: 85% the same.

Minter Dial: If there were a rule that you could change in professional padel, what would that rule be?

Juanjo Gutierrez: The golden point.

Minter Dial: A return to the golden point that was removed when Premier Padel took over the World Padel Tour.

Juanjo Gutierrez: For me, yes.

Minter Dial: That seems all the more pertinent with a slow court (as we have in Roland Garros) because the game can be really dragged out over a long time.

Juanjo Gutierrez: That doesn’t matter, for me. The golden point generates a lot of dynamism in the game and in the sport. And with need an intense in padel. It also helps distinguish padel a little from tennis.

Mint Dial: Huge thanks Juanjo!