After a completely crazy quarter-final victory against Jérémy Robert and Yoan Boronad at the FIP Bronze Marnes II, Johan Bergeron and Julien Seurin spoke to the microphone of Padel MagazineBeyond this victory, the two Frenchmen talk about their partnership, their desire to build for the long term, their approach to the international circuit and return directly to the question of French wild cards. 

Since then, their run in Marnes-la-Coquette ended in the semi-finals against the second seed.  Nacho Moragues / Timéo Fonteny (7/5 6/2) . And The Paris Major qualifiers are starting.

A quarter-final where "it had to depend on us"

Facing  Jérémy Robert / Yoan Boronad Bergeron and Seurin experienced a rollercoaster of emotions. After taking the first set, they saw their opponents come back into the match before a particularly tense third set.

À  5-5 and 0-40 The experienced pair is on the verge of breaking up. Yet they resist, salvage several very complicated situations, and ultimately turn the game in their favor.

«  The ending was crazy. I think any team could have won. It went our way, we never gave up.  "That sums it up," Johan Bergeron says.

More than the result, both players emphasize their bias:  continue to take risks , even under pressure.

With the wind, fatigue and conditions not always allowing them to easily finish points, Bergeron explains their philosophy: rather than suffer the opponent's lobs, they wanted to continue to unleash their smashes.

«  The smash is the only shot that depends solely on us.  " he explains. Even if it meant missing out, the choice was deliberate: to take the initiative rather than let Robert and Boronad set up their game.

Julien Seurin shares exactly the same logic: even in the heated moments, he did not want to fall into a waiting game, especially in the face of the quality of lob offered by their opponents in the second and third sets.

Bergeron / Seurin, a project that withstands poor results

This victory also has another significance. It comes in a season where their partnership has not followed a perfectly linear trajectory.

The beginning had been ideal, however, with  a title in Dakar Then an injury disrupted the momentum and the results became more inconsistent.

Julien Seurin, moreover, is not looking for excuses:  We were unable to reach the required level.  » during certain periods.

But that's precisely where their project stands out. In a circuit where partnerships can sometimes be very short-lived, Bergeron and Seurin have chosen to continue.

«  We still wanted to create something solid  " explains Seurin. Despite "two, three less good results", the two Frenchmen resumed training together and sought to revive a positive dynamic.

This stability allows them to get to know each other better on the track and to pursue their project without starting from scratch at each tournament.

A wildcard entry to the Paris Major? "I didn't even think about it."

However, it is difficult to ignore the context of the quarter-final.

 Yoan Boronad  is among the young players supported by the FFT and had obtained a wild-card for the Paris Major, while Bergeron / Seurin had also applied but were not selected.

Will this give a special flavor to this confrontation?

Seurin quickly dismissed the idea of ​​a settling of scores:  I didn't think about it at all. I played the match. Honestly, it didn't matter.  »

Bergeron nevertheless admits to having enjoyed the challenge. Without questioning the federation's strategy of promoting young players, the former French number 1 acknowledges a little extra motivation:

«  We need to have a vengeful spirit. I was very happy to play them now because I also enjoy these kinds of moments.  »

But he immediately qualifies this: the truth of an encounter does not constitute a definitive verdict.  The reality of one match is not necessarily the reality of the next match.  »

Seurin: "I can't rely on this for my season."

In essence, Julien Seurin delivers a lucid analysis of the wild-card system.

According to him, federal policy today seems to favor more  youth and potential level of play  rather than the desire to get as many French players as possible into the draws.

And rather than making his season dependent on an invitation, he prefers to bring the problem back to his own performances:

«  It's still a wild-card and I can't rely on that for my season.  »

«  I am trying to convince myself that it needs to depend more on me, so I need to win more matches.  »

Bergeron particularly regrets the lack of communication

Johan Bergeron, however, makes a specific criticism. It is not so much the federal decision that troubles him as  the moment it was communicated to them .

Players had to organize their international schedules, including deciding whether to register for a FIP tournament held the same week as the Paris Major. In this situation, waiting for a potential wildcard makes scheduling complicated.

Bergeron explains that he followed up several times in order to get a response.

His wish was simple: to be informed earlier if the strategy was indeed to favour young people.

«  I prefer to be called and told: “Jo, this year we’re giving it to the youngsters, that’s our strategy.”  »

He also clarifies that he does not consider the choices made to be inconsistent. His remark focuses primarily on  communication with the players concerned .

Lyon already in the back of my mind

The discussion also extends to the  FIP Platinum Lyon , a meeting that is bound to be special for Bergeron.

The Frenchman makes no secret of his desire to obtain a wild-card and to be able to play in front of his home crowd and teammates.

And the victory obtained in Marnes against Robert / Boronad is certainly an additional argument.

«  I think it's very good that we won today to be in contention for a wild-card spot.  " Bergeron acknowledges.

"To feel that we are present on the ground"

The FIP Bronze Marnes II journey finally ended one round later, in the semi-finals.

But the message delivered by Bergeron and Seurin goes far beyond the result of a tournament.

For the rest of the season, no major numerical targets have been announced. Bergeron speaks instead of  to have fun, rack up points and regain consistency .

Above all : "  To feel that you are present on the ground every time.  »

He acknowledges that this year has been "a little more complicated" than previous ones, but the answer remains the same:  You have to accept it, work harder, and then things will turn around.  »

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.

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