Stupa impressed by Leygue after their 8th place at the Paris Major: "They deserved to be there"

Franco Stupaczuk and Jon Sanz ended Thomas Leygue and Jesús Moya's run in the round of 16 of the 2026 Paris Major (7-5, 6-3). After the match, the Argentinian praised the Frenchman's performance, just a few months after his serious injury. He also discussed the atmosphere at Philippe-Chatrier court, the evolution of the Paris tournament, and his split with Mike Yanguas.

Interrogé sur Thomas Leygue After the match, Franco Stupaczuk didn't hesitate for long: "Impressive, impressive. He deserves to be congratulated."

More than his performance on the day, it is the journey undertaken by the Frenchman that seems to have impressed Stupa.

Stupa remembers Leygue during his rehabilitation

The Argentinian has a particular image in his memory. While the world's best players were competing at Roland-Garros, Leygue was still working in the gym to recover from his injury .

"I remember that after his injury, he came here to Roland-Garros. He was in the gym doing his recovery work while we were competing."

Stupaczuk particularly emphasizes the Frenchman's patience and the work he put in to regain his physical abilities, but also to to rebuild oneself mentally .

A few months later, Leygue was this time on Philippe-Chatrier, in the round of 16 of the French Major.

And for Stupa, his presence at this stage of the competition was no accident:

"Beyond what the Philippe-Chatrier stadium represented, they had the level to be there and they deserved to be there."
Paris Major: Leygue and Moya exit with their heads held high against Stupaczuk / Sanz

A Philippe-Chatrier acquired from Leygue

The context was inevitably unusual. Facing Stupaczuk/Sanz, Leygue was playing in front of his home crowd , in an atmosphere that left its mark on both opponents.

More experienced, Stupa explains that he manages to stay focused on his match without paying too much attention to what's happening around the track. Jon Sanz, on the other hand, is said to be more sensitive to the energy of the crowd.

The Argentinian even recounts that he sometimes had to wait for the audience to calm down before communicating with your partner .

"It was impressive. A spectacle."

Beyond this encounter, Stupaczuk mainly observes a transformation of the tournament since his arrival at Roland-Garros in 2022.

"The audience growth has been impressive. I'm happy, beyond winning today, to see this evolution."

Indoor, outdoor: Stupa primarily demands adaptation

When asked about the changes in conditions between tournaments – outdoors in Belgrade, indoors in Madrid and then outdoors again in Paris – Stupaczuk did not look for excuses.

"We don't decide that. We have to be ready for what comes, play, be competitive and adapt," he summarizes.

The Argentinian acknowledges, however, that a more homogeneous organization would be preferable: "I hope that one day it can be better structured."

With Yanguas, "we were no longer happy on the track"

Stupa has finally returned to his recent separation from Mike Yanguas .

A decision taken by mutual agreement when the two players realized that their partnership was no longer working as they wished.

"We spoke very clearly about it. We were both no longer happy on the track and we deserved a change."

There was no personal falling out, however. Stupaczuk recounts congratulating his former partner after his victory against the world number ones. The two men also continue to see each other off the slopes. They watched a PSG match together in the stands in Paris. .

"Everyone is following their own path, but in the right direction. We get along very well."

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.