Padel prodigy on the rise
With his eyes set on being number one, Ryden Forsyth is a force to be reckoned with in the padel community.
Sports fanatic and football player Ryden Forsyth (11) is no stranger to team sports and the physical demands that come with them.
Being a prominent soccer player with the Randpark Rams from Global Soccer Schools in Honeydew, he chose to challenge himself by joining the padel family at Indoor Padel Revolution, to not only improve his skills on the field but also recently become a young and upcoming padel player.
Padel is a racquet sport, often described as a blend of tennis and squash, played on an enclosed court about a third the size of a tennis court, with players using solid, stringless racquets and bouncing the ball off the walls.
Speaking to the Roodepoort Northsider, Ryden explains that many athletes seem to gravitate towards padel because it’s fun and complements the training.
“Padel is a team sport, and I think that’s why it was so easy for me to adapt because in football, I have already acquired good communication and cooperation, which aligns with the sport so easily. I enjoy the sport, and the more I keep playing, the more I will improve,” Ryden said.
According to coach and player Andrew Borwick, he started coaching Ryden in February and instantly saw his potential. Andrew adds that with more individuals eager to play the sport, the padel-playing community is now at about 30 million players.
“Ryden is the type of athlete who boasts an unparalleled ability to concentrate for at least an hour at a time. He is capable of implementing new skills with very little effort and quickly moves on to perfect anything he has learnt.
“Not only is he doing remarkably well in the padel space, but what makes him unique is that he is already working with a personal conditioning coach twice per week,” Andrew explains.
From being introduced as a social sport, Ryden is determined to grow with padel as it transitions into a professional sport. Andrew added further that the club will be having their one-year birthday this month, where there will be an all-inclusive padel competition with players from across Gauteng.
“This is a space in which Ryden is scheduled to make his first competitive appearance,” Andrew said.
