Thomas Leygue and Jesús Moya have pulled off a huge coup at FIP ​​Platinum Lyon.  In the round of 32, the Franco-Spanish pair overturned  Aimar Goñi Lacabe and Edu Alonso  at the end of a fight lasting more than two and a half hours:  6/7 7/6 7/6 .

The gap in the standings makes the performance even more remarkable:  Edu Alonso is 17th in the world ,  Aimar Goñi 32nd , While  Thomas Leygue is ranked 108th on FIP  et  Jesús Moya at the 143rd .

After this completely crazy evening, the Frenchman spoke with us about the keys to victory, the decisive tie-break and the mental strength that currently allows him to string together big matches.

"We had to play on the edge."

 Padel Magazine Thomas, what a victory! Three sets, three tie-breaks, and ultimately no break needed to win this match. Did you expect this scenario? 

 Thomas Leygue:  "In conditions like these, with three big spikers on the court, it's very difficult to break serve. We knew it was going to be complicated on a very fast court. Both teams had opportunities, perhaps more so at the beginning and more so at the end. We knew there would be at least one or two tie-breaks."

 Padel Magazine What made the difference in the important moments? 

 Thomas Leygue:  “We managed them well. Tactically, we tried to do our best because we had to play on the edge to gain points on defense and be perfect on offense. I’m very happy with the level of play and to have managed to do this again with Jesús, in France, in Lyon, with a crowd in the stands until very late.”

"You generate energy mentally."

 Padel Magazine After more than two and a half hours, you still seemed to have a lot of energy. Where does it come from? 

 Thomas Leygue:  "The energy comes mainly from your mind. It's the desire to be on the field and win these kinds of matches. After that, there's no secret: it's training. I've just completed a week and a half with a lot of cardio, resistance, and explosiveness training. Today, it's paying off."

A victory dedicated to his coach

 Padel Magazine There was also a special thought for your coach after this victory… 

 Thomas Leygue:  "Mati was supposed to come with us to the tournament, but the day before, he had to go to the hospital for a personal problem. We had said we were going to try to win some victories for him. This one, today, is for him."

The completely crazy point of the tie-break

 Padel Magazine In the third set tie-break, at 4-2, there's this incredible point. You attack a short ball, it hits the net, bounces back out and Goñi finishes with 4. What's going through your mind at that moment? 

 Thomas Leygue:  “I smiled because I think I had nothing to reproach myself for. The match had already been going for 2 hours and 32 minutes. I made an almost perfect feint, Edu recovered the ball, and then I had a very short ball. I decided to hit it, it hit the net… We didn’t have much luck with the nets today, but that’s how it goes.”

 Padel Magazine And despite this point, you're not out of the game… 

 Thomas Leygue:  "We kept going, we didn't give up. We knew we were playing better than them and that things could go our way. And it did."

FIP Platinum Lyon: Leygue and Moya are on another level, defeating Goñi/Alonso after three tie-breaks

"I like playing as an underdog."

 Padel Magazine Now, let's hear from Momo González and Lucas Campagnolo. How are you approaching this round of 16 match? 

 Thomas Leygue:  “The further you progress in this kind of tournament, the more you play against very good players. We know that if we play to our strengths, we can trouble them. I like playing as the underdog. They're the ones who will be under pressure. We'll do our job and see what happens on the court with the crowd. And why not…”

"A few months ago, I was losing a lot of matches."

 Padel Magazine With the results coming thick and fast, is it difficult not to get carried away? 

 Thomas Leygue:  “I think it’s important to stay humble in these moments. A few months ago, I was losing a lot of matches. Now, things are going my way. You shouldn’t overreact to victory and then dwell on defeat. You have to understand that there are good times and bad times, and that long-term work brings consistency.”

 Padel Magazine Is this the mentality you want to maintain going forward? 

 Thomas Leygue:  “Yes. Yesterday, we saved a match point. Today, we lost the first set, but we never give up. I think this mentality will take me far in sports and in padel. I want to continue to never give up, never throw in the towel, and try to make all the people who support me proud.”

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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