Lionel Roux, a former professional tennis player who reached world number 48, is now at the head of the Open Sopra Steria in Lyon, a Challenger tournament that he has been directing since 2016. In addition to tennis, he has developed a passion for padel and is now involved in the organization of the first indoor FIP GOLD for ladies and gentlemen: the FIP GOLD LYONIn this interview, Lionel shares his experience and the challenges of organizing sporting events, and looks back on this major competition that awaits us just after the GPM.

From tennis player to padel enthusiast

Franck Binisti : In your tennis career, have you ever had any contacts, have you been linked or were you already playing padel at that time?

Lionel Roux : Not at all because I'm already an old hand, so padel arrived in France not, so to speak, that long ago. I was in the top 50 in the 90s and I didn't hear about padel at all during my career, a little bit later when I trained and coached a few players. But really, it's a sport that I discovered and that I've been really practicing thoroughly for 5-6 years.

Franck Binisti : Do you play padel regularly, would you like to or do you already do some padel tournaments?

Lionel Roux : When you've been competitive, you want to go back a little bit. I think that padel is really the right format for us, former tennis players. I've done competitions, I've had a few physical problems that meant I had to stop, but I'm going back. I love it. I even signed up for a club to do the team matches with friends and I have good hope of going to tease the two Arnauds (Arnaud Clément and Arnaud Di Pasquale) a little next year to do some competition.

The importance of team competitions

Franck Binisti : Playing with friends, does that seem very important to you?

Lionel Roux : Tennis is an individual sport. But doing the team matches kept me alive a little bit at the time. Even when I was playing ATP, I often came back to Lyon to play for the Tennis Club of the Pope, and I met up with my friends. Then, I played in Rennes where we went several times French champions, European champions also, because there were championships. We went to Barcelona, ​​to Türkiye, and I loved that.

In padel, I find sensations, emotions that I had in tennis through the Davis Cup, when I was a coach, or in these team matches. In tennis, being alone can be hard psychologically. I didn't want that at all anymore. In padel, I found that little adrenaline of competition again. Even if you're a tennis player, you can take a good beating from monstrous players in padel. It's frustrating, but it makes you want to progress.

Padel or pickleball? A clear preference

Franck Binisti : Are your friends in tennis the same as in padel?

Lionel Roux : Exactly, we are still together. I have kept my friends, I am very attached to my roots, in Lyon.

Franck Binisti : In the United States, pickleball is one of the king sports. Have you tried this sport? A preference?

Lionel Roux : Oh yes, one preference for padel, without a doubt. Already in terms of noise, I find pickleball unpleasant. This hollow ball that hits the racket, I don't like the noise at all. I'm not criticizing this sport, but it gives me the impression of a beach game. Maybe I'll change my mind, but today I don't feel like playing it at all.

FIP Gold Lyon: a risky bet

Franck Binisti : Can you tell us about the tennis tournament in Lyon and this new international tournament with the FIP Gold Lyon?

Lionel Roux : The idea of ​​theOpen Sopra Steria had been on my mind for a while. I am very attached to Lyon. I have participated in all editions of the Lyon Tennis Grand Prix, first as a player, then as a commentator and spectator. When this tournament was sold in 2009, I said to myself that one day, I would like to recreate something in Lyon.
We combined our skills with Benoît Dupré, my partner, and we created a Challenger, with the idea of ​​introducing the Lyon public to the champions of tomorrow. Padel was added to this adventure. That's where the idea of ​​the FIP Gold Lyon. Everything happened very quickly, but we decided to go for it.

Franck Binisti : What are the possible obstacles in this process of entrepreneurship with padel?

Lionel Roux : The main obstacles are financial, especially when you are starting out over several years. first year is always the most difficult. We don't know where we're going, and the budgets are huge. But with the International Federation of Padel (FIP) and the FFT, relations are good. That said, there are still things to structure, padel being a sport still in development.

fip gold lyon 2024

FIP Gold Lyon: not to be missed!

Franck Binisti : Why should spectators come to the FIP Gold in Lyon?

Lionel Roux : The Lyon Sports Palace is a legendary place. There will be three courts installed, and padel is a spectacular sport. I have brought on board four Lyon entities: UrbanPadel, Mind Padel, All In, a PadelShot. Each will have a role during the tournament, and there will also be partner events, demonstrations, and a partner tournament.

Franck Binisti : You told me about the cancellation of the tournament in Sweden, which benefits the FIP Gold in Lyon with great players present?

Lionel Roux : Yes, the cancellation of the tournament in Sweden allows us to have a very high plateau, with great players like Alix Collombon, Ruiz, a Stream, from world top 20It is a real opportunity for a FIP Gold like ours to welcome players of this caliber.

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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