At Volta Padel Center, players have a rare chance to train under one of Estonia’s leading athletes. Erko Nigula, multiple national doubles champion and the country’s highest-ranked player on the FIP tour, reflects on how he discovered padel, rose to the top of the sport, and began coaching alongside his professional career in Volta Quarter.
Volta’s industrial heritage is being reshaped into North Tallinn’s new community center, where high ceilings and limestone walls host a wide range of sports and leisure opportunities. Padel and sports halls have brought new life into industrial spaces, while cozy cafés, studios, and design shops thrive alongside them.
A new rhythm has taken shape at Volta: in the mornings, people head to work out; in the afternoons, they grab a light bite at a café; and in the evenings, they stroll by the seaside or along Kalamaja’s streets. At the center of this new lifestyle pulse works one of Estonia’s strongest padel players.
From Tennis to Padel
Like many other padel players, Erko began his athletic career in tennis, where he also earned the title of Estonian doubles champion. “I played tennis for ten years before discovering padel,” he recalls. The turning point came by chance. “One evening after training, my brother and I came across some padel courts in Pärnu. We decided to give it a try. At first with beach-tennis rackets and I immediately liked the game.”
The transition from tennis to padel, he says, was very easy. “I was the type of tennis player who loved to rush the net, cut across the court, and rely on quick reflexes. Padel is physically less demanding, and thanks to the glass walls there’s also less running. My tennis background helped me pick up padel quickly.”
That was the beginning of a journey that, in a short time, brought Erko the Estonian doubles championship title in padel.
The Tougher the Opponent, the Better
Reaching the top requires enormous dedication and discipline. Erko stresses that without strong partners, he would not have come this far. “With my closest tennis friend, Villem Adamsoo, I trained hard on both the mental and physical side while playing tennis. Together we also won the Estonian championship. Achieving good results demands teamwork and the ability to read the game.”
In padel competitions, his partner has often been Oskar Erik Hakonen, with whom he has won three doubles championship titles. In 2025, Erko secured another Estonian championship, this time alongside Frederick Karma.
Equally important for him is keeping his motivation high, which comes from competing against very strong opponents. “In padel, I’ve never once had the feeling that I was afraid to face someone,” he explains. “On the contrary, it’s incredibly motivating to play against top-class players and show what I’m capable of.”
Naturally, this requires training almost every day. Erko also practices regularly at Volta Padel with other coaches whenever possible.
