Only at  56 years , the founder of  We Love Tennis  and  Padel Mon amour  has departed on this final journey, leaving behind his family, his loved ones, but also a community of enthusiasts that he managed to unite for many years.

I remember our first exchanges perfectly, in  2014 , during the first edition of the  National Padel Cup  at the Cap d'Agde International Tennis Centre.

At the time, Laurent made no secret of his skepticism. A passionate tennis player, he viewed padel with a certain detachment. He didn't truly believe in its development and made no attempt to hide it. Quite the opposite, in fact. With his legendary outspokenness, he always found the right words to provoke a reaction, even sparking debate. That was Laurent: assertive in his convictions, but also intelligent enough to know when to backtrack when reality ultimately proved him wrong. And that was precisely what made him so compelling.

With  Loïc Revol , journalist for several years  We Love Tennis  And as one of the first to be convinced of padel's potential, we often tried to change the game. Each with our own arguments, our passion and our vision of this sport, we tried to show him that padel had everything to become a phenomenon.

The discussions were numerous, sometimes heated, always passionate.

And then, gradually, Laurent's perspective changed.

He could have remained entrenched in his position. He preferred to observe, understand and accept that padel was becoming much more than a “simple derivative of tennis”.

This change was not limited to a few items.

Laurent has become a true padel enthusiast. To the point of launching  Padel Mon amour proof that this discipline had finally found a very special place in his heart.

On a more personal note, Laurent also played a significant role in my journey. After a stint at  Tennis Magazine , where I had already begun to advocate for padel alongside Jean Couvercelle, I had the opportunity to join on occasion  We Love Tennis  to modestly "spice up" the magazine with a few padel articles. I've always been particularly proud to contribute, in my own small way, to the adventure of this publication, especially its visual aspects. It might seem trivial, but it's part of my professional development. That's also why its disappearance affects me so deeply.

Today, I like to imagine Laurent continuing his journey elsewhere, always with a racket in his hand, debating with the same passion that characterized him.

Her story, however, does not end there.

I know that  We Love Tennis  et  Padel Mon amour  will continue to live and grow. His son  Antoine He will know how to perpetuate the spirit instilled by his father. This will be, I am convinced, the greatest tribute he can pay him.

On behalf of the entire team of  Padel Magazine I extend our deepest condolences to his family, loved ones, and the entire team at  We Love Tennis  and  Padel Mon amour , and especially to Antoine.

Thank you Laurent.

Thank you for the debates, sometimes heated.

Thank you for agreeing to look at things differently.

 And thank you, above all, for going from skepticism to passion, to becoming one of the finest promoters of this sport that you had initially viewed with such reserve. 

Have a good trip, Laurent.

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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