The partner ofAlix Collombon, the Spanish Araceli Martínez, 35th player in the world, delivered a magnificent match on the Court Philippe Chatrier and helped the Franco-Spanish pair qualify for the last 8 of the Greenweez Paris Major 2024, where they will face the tournament's number 2 seed: Triay / FernandezShe comes back to us on this 16th final, but also on her career, her injuries, her partners, her relationship with Alix, and its history in padel.

What a match, what a round of 16 match against Carolina Orsi and Nuria Rodriguez…

Well, to be honest, I don't even know how long the match was or anything else. I just know that it was a very tough match. mentally.

It was on a slow track, and we were facing a very complicated pair to maneuver. I was told that there had been 12 station wagons in the match, especially in the first set. It was break after break. I think the consistency and staying concentrated allowed us to win. Basically, we had to make one less mistake than our opponents.

Araceli Martinez Paris Major 2024
Paris Premier Padel 2024

What is the tactic in a case like this?

There are a lot of breaks because of the type of runway, which is slow and very well defended. So it is more difficult to win a point by attacking. So the tactic is simply to defend well.

I think we stuck to our plan throughout the match: vary the lobs, and especially make good lobs. We had to stay behind without being impatient to go up, without trying to force the point, because sometimes we tend to rush.

So the tactic was based on calm, staying behind and working the point until it presented itself.

But in general, you prefer to attack, right?

Yes, I love attacking, but you have to adapt to each type of track, each type of match. And we had two opponents who worked a lot on the point. We have to adapt to each situation.

What is the difference between Alix Collombon and the other players you have played with?

I think that with Alix, we have been a team for a short time. We have played three tournaments together, this being the fourth. Little by little, we are adapting to each other. Alix is ​​a very consistent player, with a great attitude. For me, she is very complete. On my side, I have had to adapt too, because I have to attack more, and we both have to be more aggressive, because we defend very well, but the attack sometimes poses difficulties for us.

I think she helped me work on that aspect and improve. I think I also give her something in return. We are a pair capable of creating surprises. Today we demonstrated that by playing a great match against two good players.

Alix explained to us that she hoped to continue with you…

Yes, that's what I want too. Alix, I love you, and I hope we'll stay together for a long time (laughs).

We were progressing, and even with the little time spent together, we understood each other better and better.

I would also like to thank Juan Alday, who is his coach. With Alix, we have an excellent relationship, both on and off the field. We have a real team connection. With our respective coaches, there is a very good understanding.

Who are you? Where are you from? What is your story?

I just Murcia, I am 24 years old. I started playing padel at 14. Before that, I played tennis for 3 years, then I switched to padel. In 2018, I went to live in Madrid, but I had to have shoulder surgery. It was quite a serious operation, I had a partial tear of the supraspinatus.

In 2020, I had surgery. I returned to Murcia, where I am from, to recover. Then I returned to Madrid. And three months ago I got injured again, this time in the external meniscus, which forced me to undergo further surgery.

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.