The adventure came to an end this Thursday for  Dylan Guichard and Adam Axelsson  at the FIP Platinum Lyon. But the day before, the Franco-Swedish pair had experienced one of the tournament's highlights by eliminating  Sanyo Gutiérrez and Javi Garrido  in the round of 32.

Minutes after this feat, Guichard was still struggling to grasp it. An interview conducted in the euphoria of victory, which inevitably takes on a different flavor the day after his elimination.

"Incredible, I'm still trembling a little."

 Padel Magazine Dylan, how does it feel after a victory like that? 

 Dylan Guichard:  "I don't really know what to tell you. Incredible. I'm still shaking a little, but I'm very, very happy. The crowd was totally on board with us. I knew we were going to be dangerous with Adam. We just believed in ourselves and tried to stay calm."

This victory also confirms the mental work done by the Frenchman in recent months.

"I've been working quite a bit on my mental game and I can feel it. The confidence comes with it. Every time I step onto the pitch, I just want to do well, regardless of winning or losing, but to give everything I have."

"We just needed a break."

 Padel Magazine The first set is difficult. Your service games are tight and you have very few return opportunities. What do you change next? 

 Dylan Guichard:  "We decided we weren't going to make a thousand breaks. We only needed one. So we started taking a few more risks, planning ahead more, and sometimes playing more slowly. We made adjustments."

Guichard also highlights the performance of Adam Axelsson who was returning after two months without competition due to a shoulder injury.

"He really deserves praise because he hadn't played for two months. He comes back and, in our first match together, he wins against a padel legend and a very, very strong player. Adam is truly a top guy."

A precise plan against Sanyo and Garrido

 Padel Magazine We saw you putting a lot of emphasis on Garrido. Was that planned before the match? 

 Dylan Guichard:  “Yes, we had prepared well for the match. Mati (Diaz, Dylan’s coach) had sent me a long message on how to play them, and Adam’s coach also gave us a couple of tips.”

The idea was, in particular, to avoid installing  Sanyo Gutiérrez  in one of its preferred areas.

"I knew we had to avoid playing Sanyo's backhand volley multiple times because he loves it. So we decided we'd play more to Garrido. And I like to play parallel shots, so everything was fine."

End-of-match tensions: "Before, it could have taken me out of the game."

The end of the match was also marked by some tense exchanges over contentious points. This context might have unsettled Guichard a few months earlier.

This time, the Frenchman stayed focused on the game.

 Dylan Guichard:  "Before, it could have taken me out of the game. Now, not so much. It almost makes me laugh."

A sentence that sums up quite well the mental evolution mentioned throughout the interview.

"Right now, I'm enjoying myself on the pitch."

Beyond this victory against  Sanyo / Garrido Guichard particularly emphasizes his current momentum. Travel and tournaments follow one after another, but his desire remains undiminished.

 Padel Magazine Above all, we can sense that Dylan Guichard is having a lot of fun right now… 

 Dylan Guichard:  “Right now, I’m enjoying myself on the pitch. We have a lot of games in quick succession, but I want to play. Sometimes I get a little tired of the travel, but when I get on the pitch, I clear my mind. I just want to play all the time.”

And the Frenchman also knows that these periods must be exploited to the fullest.

"We need to take advantage of this productive period and ride the wave a little. It's not going to last 200 years, so as long as I can, I'll continue."

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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