More than a year after his near-total rupture of the Achilles tendon , the old one  French number 1  found the  world top 150 . For Padel MagazineThomas Leygue agreed to revisit the behind-the-scenes story of a long rebuilding process, between  re-education ,  mental work A loss of bearings and a gradual return to the highest level. Competitive again on the  personalised tour Premier Padel However, the Frenchman insists: he is still far from his  best level .

Rebuild everything

It took more than a year to  Thomas Leygue  to find the  world top 150 More than a year to rebuild his body, regain his feel for the game, and above all, relearn to trust his Achilles tendon. But perhaps the hardest part wasn't getting back on the courts. It was wondering if he would ever be able to face the same player again.

When he injured himself  Rome in June 2025 However, the French are in a completely different situation. So  French number 1  Ranked 86th in the world, Thomas Leygue believes he's playing some of the best padel of his career. With Jesús Moya, he's just launched a successful project and is fueling new ambitions. Then, against the Deus brothers in the first round of the Italy Major, it all comes to a sudden halt.  near-total rupture of the Achilles tendon  ends his season and forces him to start from scratch.

A 2025 season cut short in mid-flight for Thomas Leygue: “I had finally found the consistency I was looking for”

At that point, the first question isn't how long his absence will last. It's whether he'll be able to  to get back on the field and regain his level This is a question that will accompany the Frenchman's long months of rehabilitation, as he is determined to give himself every chance of a successful comeback.  "I gave 300% to come back." that sums it up today.

 I gave 300% to come back 

For several months, Thomas Leygue put his career on hold to devote himself entirely to his recovery.  Four to five hours of rehabilitation per day Between swimming, physiotherapy, physical conditioning, recovery boots, and cold baths, each day is structured around a single objective: regaining his professional player's physique. It's a grueling period, but one during which the Frenchman insists he never seriously considered not returning.

An injury that leaves its mark

Thomas Leygue's recovery, however, wasn't limited to the physical. From the beginning of 2025, even before his injury, the Frenchman was already working with his  mental preparation l. Support that he continued during his convalescence, when the rupture of the Achilles tendon disrupted much more than just his sporting career.

To make the most of this particular period, Leygue also surrounded himself with a  psychologist with an approach more focused on the difficulties of daily life. Because while the mental coach primarily supports him in his life as an athlete, the Frenchman also needed someone capable of understanding what he was going through.  outside the courts  : disrupted habits, distance from competition, loss of bearings and uncertainties related to his return.

The injury also changed his relationship with his own body. Today, he says he listens to it more, avoids overexertion, and takes the time to recover.  His body has become more than ever his tool of the trade. and he learned to better understand his limitations.

Because even though his physical condition is now approaching what it was before his injury, some limitations took much longer to disappear. Upon his return, he didn't always dare to jump, put weight on his foot, or perform certain movements as he had before. These inhibitions are gradually fading with each match, but he knows that some of the fear will likely always remain.

The tendon gradually regained its strength. Confidence, however, took longer to recover.

Returning to the reality on the ground

After eight months away from competition, Thomas Leygue has finally rediscovered what he had missed so much:  The feeling of a match, the pressure of competition, and the adrenaline of big events. But returning to competition doesn't mean immediately regaining one's best form. In fact, the first few months of his comeback were more complicated than he had imagined.

Although the Frenchman never really doubted his ability to return during his rehabilitation, the return to competition has raised new questions.  Losing matches he believes he is capable of winning Having to return to a level of play below his standards and having to accept not being immediately the player he was before his injury has sometimes been difficult to manage.

A period of doubt that ultimately came after his return to the courts. Until then, Thomas Leygue had moved forward with conviction: he had done everything in his power to come back. But once confronted with the reality of competition, the defeats called some of his certainties into question.

These setbacks were sometimes particularly difficult to accept. So much so that the Frenchman acknowledges that, without his support network, things could have turned out very differently:  "Without my coaches, I would surely have quit padel."  A statement that testifies to the importance of his team during this period when frustration sometimes took over.

 Without my coaches, I would surely have quit padel.  

But the Frenchman continued to work. And since then, the results seem to prove him right.

À  Malaga Partnered with Arnau Ayats, he secured another qualification for the P1 main draw. A few weeks later, at  Pretoria He repeated the feat with Pablo Vicente.

Then comes  London where Leygue once again made it through qualifying, this time with Belgian Clément Geens. The pair then secured a victory in the main draw against Alvaro Cepero (world No. 53) and Eduardo Torre (No. 76), a particularly symbolic performance for the Frenchman.

London P1: After their first-round upset, Leygue and Geens take on the Lebrón/Augsburger juggernaut

Three performances that are therefore coming  after this period of doubt  and which demonstrate real progress. In Malaga, however, the Frenchman was not satisfied with his level of play. In Pretoria, he felt he put on a convincing performance in qualifying before encountering more difficulties in the main draw. Finally, in London, he felt he played very well in qualifying before facing more challenging matches in the main draw, particularly on a mental level.

From the outside, the progress is now obvious. From the inside, it's inevitably harder to measure. When a player works every day to regain his form, he sees more of what he still needs to improve than the progress he's already made.

But recent results also constitute a form of response to his doubts.  After going through a period where defeats could shake his confidence, Leygue is now starting to accumulate positive signs again. 

However, the Frenchman refuses to consider his comeback over. He still believes he is  far from his best level , particularly in his ability to consistently deliver strong performances. Indeed, returning to the world's top 150 is one step. Re-establishing himself at the level of the player who reached 86th place is quite another.

And this reconstruction now involves another challenge:  regain stability with a partner capable of supporting her in this new stage. 

In search of stability

Having rebuilt his body and gradually regained his level of play, Thomas Leygue now faces another challenge:  regain stability with a partner Since the beginning of the year, the Frenchman has been looking to be part of a long-term project, with a player capable of accompanying him in his climb back up the rankings.

The quest was not easy, however. Leygue notably competed  four to five tournaments with Nuno Deus without achieving the desired results. This partnership therefore failed to build the desired momentum. Its high standards and its desire to participate in several tournaments make the choice of partner particularly important.

Behind this search lies a direct consequence of his injury:  his place in the hierarchy has changed Before Rome, Leygue was the top-ranked French player and 86th in the world. After an eight-month hiatus, he had to drop back down to the FIP rankings and gradually rebuild his position. This reality is also impacting his search for a partner.

The Frenchman accepts it with a certain frankness:  "Sometimes, you're the last choice."  This is undoubtedly a difficult situation for a player who had enjoyed a completely different position before his injury. However, his recent performances, particularly in Malaga, Pretoria, and London, are gradually beginning to change the perception surrounding him.

 Sometimes, you're the last choice .

And this resurgence could ultimately lead him to a particularly symbolic association.  Jesus Moya His partner at the time of his injury in Rome, is set to reunite with Leygue for the second half of the season. A fresh start for a pairing whose initial project was abruptly halted just as it was beginning to take shape.

It is with Jesus   Moya was the team Thomas Leygue had competed in at the Italy Major in 2025. It was with Moya that his season came to an end.  It is with him that he now wants to write the next chapter of his career. 

Write the sequel

After more than a year of rehabilitation and recovery, Thomas Leygue now wants to look ahead. The Frenchman knows he still has a long way to go to regain the level that allowed him to reach the  86th place in the world but his ambitions did not disappear with his injury.

The  French Championships  These constitute, in particular, another important milestone. Partnered with Bastien Blanqué, Thomas Leygue does not, however, consider himself the favorite in the competition, despite their long history together. In his view, several pairs have what it takes to win the title, including...  Dylan Guichard, Timéo Fonteny, Yoan Boronad, and Jérémy Robert . A density that makes the tournament particularly open and allows the Frenchman to approach this event without necessarily carrying the status of favorite.

A position that ultimately suits him quite well. Having experienced the expectations associated with his status as the French number 1, Leygue now prefers to focus on the game and the search for  Constance , rather than focusing solely on a ranking. His objective remains to gradually regain the level he was at before his injury and to build a sufficiently solid momentum to climb sustainably in the world rankings.

Because Thomas Leygue now knows better than anyone: a comeback isn't just about getting back on the court. It's about regaining your body, your feel for the game, your confidence, your results, and gradually your place in the rankings. The Frenchman has already covered a large part of that ground. But he still refuses to consider this chapter over.

 Padel is my whole life, I can't stop without giving it my all. 

A sentence that ultimately perfectly sums up his state of mind.  More than a year after Rome, Thomas Leygue is back. And now, it remains to be seen how far this comeback can take him. 

Raphael Degironde

As a padel fan and player, I scan the padel scene: Beware, you are being watched!

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