Ale Galán and Fede Chingotto qualified for the Paris Major final after their victory in the semi-final against  Paquito Navarro / Martin Di Nenno  In a press conference, the two players discussed their adaptation to the outdoor conditions at Roland-Garros, Chingotto's previous finals appearances in Paris, the importance of the Grand Slams in the race for the world rankings, and their desire to win the title. Galán also explained an unusual point in the tournament: his lob, which he deliberately hit very high and which ultimately went out of bounds. 

Chingotto finally wants to win at Roland-Garros

Asked about his successive finals at Roland-Garros and what he needs to finally win the title, Chingotto insists on the continuity of his work.

"The important thing is consistency. I work every day to be able to unlock these kinds of moments."

For him, returning to the final validates the work done with his team.

“Being in the final again means that I’m working well with the whole team, whom I also want to congratulate. Streaks are made to be broken. Tomorrow, I’ll take to the track with a lot of desire and enthusiasm.”

The playing conditions: "We adapted to everything."

At Roland-Garros, matches played outdoors can change their character depending on the time of day, the sun, the temperature or the wind.

When asked about a final scheduled for late afternoon, Chingotto did not want to make it a topic.

“We adapted to every condition, every schedule, and every track. For our part, we are focused on playing the best way possible.”

Before adding humorously:

"I just hope that if it's 17 p.m., it will be 40 degrees so the ball flies for everyone!"

Galán: "The Majors are the most important tournaments of the season."

 Does this final take on an additional dimension in the race for the world rankings? 

 Ale Galán:  "Playing another final here at Roland-Garros, against them, gives us even more motivation."

“Last week we had a lot of break points. We’re going into this match with the same mentality. We’ve had opportunities all these years and I hope that tomorrow we’ll be able to capitalize on them.”

In a season where every major tournament counts in the fight at the top of the rankings, Galán reminds us of the special value of the four Majors.

"The Majors are the most important part of the season."

And his intention for the final leaves no room for ambiguity:

"It's a great reward to be in the final. Tomorrow, we'll approach it as I said:  We will die on the track if necessary.  »

Why did Galán send a lob out of bounds?

One of the most interesting moments of the conference concerns a point played by Galán in the previous match. The Spaniard had sent an extremely high lob that ultimately landed outside the court.

An accident? Not really.

"We apologize because the intention is not to put the ball out of bounds, but to disrupt the opponent. We know how difficult it is to make good lobs outdoors, but the advantage is precisely that there is no roof."

Against players capable of smashing from far behind the net, significantly increasing the height of the lob allows you to change the timing of the shot.

"Sometimes you have to send the ball very high, especially against players like Goñi, who are capable of hitting from practically anywhere. The goal is to disrupt them."

And Galán reveals that this idea also came from his partner.

"I'm learning a lot from Chingo. We've seen him do this several times before, and yesterday it was my turn."

Galán: "Padel is much more precise indoors."

The question of  roof of the Philippe-Chatrier  The question was also raised. Should we prefer an indoor court to the outdoor conditions at Roland-Garros?

Galán clearly distinguishes between the two situations.

"I think that at our level, padel is much more precise indoors, that's obvious. Outdoor tournaments are generally very beautiful, but the conditions can level the playing field and we often see more surprises in the early rounds."

External conditions also have a direct impact on the characteristics of the players.

"On an outdoor court, we have the advantage that Fede is able to connect very good shots. But we also have the disadvantage that our opponents can hit from practically anywhere."

Galán then summarizes the issue:

"We are looking for the winning formula, and tomorrow we will continue to look for it."

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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