Padel Becomes a Social Venue, Wulan Guritno Reveals the Fun of Sports and Hanging Out

Wulan believes that padel is not just a sport, but also a social activity that allows her to reconnect with many old friends. After playing, the players often hang out and chat casually, something she didn't experience when playing tennis before."And padel is like a social sport too, right? After playing, everyone can hang out, so it's like meeting old friends again, from various places, meeting again on the padel court, like that," she said.

Although she is currently 'in love' with padel, Wulan emphasizes that she still remains loyal to playing tennis. She mentions that padel and tennis provide different thrills, and she enjoys both alternately."In tennis, I don't have my friends. But I still play tennis because, as they say, I'm currently in love with padel, but I still care for tennis," said the mother of three.

Many refer to padel as a trend or a seasonal sport, also known as FOMO. However, Wulan rejects that notion. According to her, she has liked sports for a long time, and the transition to padel happened naturally due to environmental influences."In my opinion, it can't be FOMO because I really like sports, and I have been into tennis, and this is like a smaller version of tennis, so it's not something entirely new. It's also fun to try," she said.

Wulan also mentioned that she enjoys trying various new sports. But if she feels it’s not a good fit, she doesn’t hesitate to step back. Fortunately, padel provides both comfort and challenge that keeps her interested in continuing to play."Trying out new sports, usually when I don’t feel a connection, meaning I don’t experience enjoyment in that sport, I withdraw. But for now, I’m happy," she continued.

Padel, which is now increasingly popular among celebrities, is considered to have unique characteristics: competitive yet still fun. This makes the atmosphere of the game not too tense."Games like this, for example, someone might be really good, but then ends up losing, that's a mental game too," he said.

Even so, Wulan does not feel the need to be the best. She emphasizes that every game has its ups and downs. What matters, according to her, is to enjoy the process."There are good days, and there are not so good days. Like when I'm practicing, 'why am I hitting poorly today, oh no', then the next day, I hit and play really well. So yeah, that's how it is," she said casually.

The padel trend that is currently spreading in Jakarta and other major cities, according to Wulan, will continue to develop. This sport is not just about physicality, but also strengthens social relations.