The Grand Book of Women’s Padel preserves fifty stories worth keeping

Fifty testimonies, and more than fifty voices

The Grand Book of Women’s Padel was published in France on 1 October 2026. Written by Kristin Kirsch, founder of Padel for Ladies, the 310-page volume gathers 50 testimonies from club players, competitors, champions and coaches across 14 countries. A foreword by Icíar Montes, an epilogue by Fernando Belasteguín and Kirsch’s own voice take the total number of contributions beyond those fifty accounts.

Carolina Navarro, Alix Collombon, Lucía Sainz, Sabine Appelmans, Ana Catarina Nogueira and Belén Castrillo are among the contributors. The names are impressive, but the most convincing editorial decision is not to reserve the book for podiums. Amateur paths sit alongside international careers, with their beginnings, progress, injuries, comebacks and doubts.

That range gives the book its coherence. It does not try to manufacture a single story of women’s padel; it shows how many different ways there are to enter the game, improve and remain part of it.

“Talent is what you have” — Carolina Navarro

Carolina Navarro’s words open the chapter on technical fundamentals. They set the tone for a book that does more than collect personal journeys: it also passes on what players have learned on court.

The contents follow a clear progression: starting, choosing equipment, understanding court position, developing technique, preparing the body, handling emotions, playing doubles, travelling, passing knowledge on and examining the game’s history. The structure resembles a manual, but the testimonies give it concrete, human substance.

The sections on the body deserve particular attention. Pregnancy, the menstrual cycle, menopause, ageing, injuries and returning to competition are not treated as a decorative aside. They are part of the game and of both professional and amateur careers.

“I would like to change how people see women’s padel” — Paula Josemaría

Placed at the beginning of the chapter on lives changed through the game, Paula Josemaría’s words capture another ambition of the book: to make visible experiences that have long been told separately, or not told at all.

Bringing international champions together with club players is central to the project. The former contribute elite experience and historical depth; the latter describe joining a club, finding a partner, improving, rebuilding confidence and earning a place within a team.

The Grand Book of Women’s Padel therefore offers no single definition of a player. It brings together different ages, levels and countries while allowing every voice to retain its individuality.

“It is one big family, padel” — Alix Collombon

Alix Collombon’s quotation introduces the historical section, but it also sheds light on everything before it. Partners, teams, coaches and encounters matter as much here as technique or results.

Make Padel Iconic was able to read The Grand Book of Women’s Padel ahead of publication. Its great achievement is this balance between passing knowledge on and preserving memory. It helps readers understand the game while recording conversations that often circulate around clubs without being kept anywhere else.

That is what makes the initiative so worthwhile. Champions bring historical depth; club players bring closeness. Together, they create a book that can be read in sequence, explored by theme and reopened whenever a question or a particular journey echoes the reader’s own experience.

Practical information

The Grand Book of Women’s Padel by Kristin Kirsch has been available since 1 October 2026 in paperback and Kindle ebook editions. The French edition begins a series of Portuguese, Spanish and English releases announced for October.

The book is published through Amazon KDP. The French paperback is listed at €17.90 and the Kindle edition at €7.99. Padel for Ladies can be reached directly through the link below for further stories and updates from the project.