Liisa Mäkelä: "I started padel at fifty-five and nobody told me I was late"

Overview

Liisa Mäkelä taught mathematics in Tampere for thirty years and had never played a racket sport when a former colleague invited her to a beginners' evening at a local padel hall. She was fifty-five. Seven years on she plays four times a week, captains a women's league team and spends a fortnight in Spain each spring. We spoke to her after a morning session, still in her court shoes, with a cup of coffee and a cinnamon bun.

On beginning

What did you expect from that first evening?

Embarrassment. I was the oldest by fifteen years and I had not done any sport since cross-country skiing as a girl. But the coach put us in pairs, gave us soft balls and had us rallying within ten minutes. In tennis you spend the first months chasing the ball to the fence. In padel the walls send it back to you. You feel like a player very quickly.

Was there a moment when it became serious?

After about three months a woman in my group asked if I wanted to make a regular four on Thursday mornings. That was it. Once you have a regular game, you have people expecting you. I have not missed many Thursdays since.

On learning later in life

What is harder at fifty-five than at twenty-five?

Recovery, certainly. I need a day between hard sessions, and I warm up properly every time, which the young players laugh at until they hurt something. Quick movements to the side were difficult at first. I worked on my legs in the gym for one winter and it made a big difference.

And what is easier?

Patience. Young players want to hit hard. I am happy to lob all morning and wait for a mistake. Padel rewards that. I also have no ego about my level. I know exactly where I am and I enjoy playing people slightly better than me.

On Finland and the long winter

What is padel like in Finland?

Very social and almost entirely indoors. The halls are warm, bright and full from early morning, especially in the dark months. People play before work, at lunch and late into the evening. For older players it is wonderful in winter, because walking outside can be icy and miserable, and the hall becomes a place to see friends.

Why do you travel south to play?

For the light, first of all. After a Finnish winter, playing outside in the sun in April feels like being given your body back. And the ball behaves differently outdoors. There is wind, the ball is livelier in the warmth and the lobs drift. It makes me a better player when I come home.

On travelling as an older player

Have you ever felt out of place at a club abroad?

Rarely. In Spain I often play with local women in their sixties who are much better than me. I always message the club before I arrive, tell them my level honestly and ask to be placed in a suitable open match. Clubs are very good at this when you give them the information.

What would you say to someone in their fifties or sixties wondering whether to start?

Go to a beginners' session and do not decide anything until you have been three times. The first time you are nervous, the second time you are learning, the third time you are enjoying it. And buy decent shoes. Everything else can wait.