Instagram Interview'' Amélie Feaugas, member of the French team of padel, currently 10th in the ranking of padel of the FFT, and partner of Mai Vo.

  • Regarding its tennis past

I started tennis when I was 8, I played a lot. I stopped when I started working, I was -15 at the time, and I was just playing team games, but I kept playing for fun.

I picked up a bit when tennis was banned and the padel authorized. But now it's back to padel.

  • Regarding his discovery of padel

I discovered the padel thanks to the FAPO, an association that brings together people from tennis who come together to play padel not far from where I worked (Editor's note: at 4 Padel Bordeaux). I had told a friend who was in there that if there were people missing I could come and play to help out. I had to play once every 2 months, I was in the net for 2 hours, it was funny.

In 2018, FAPO signed up for the SETTEO Cup, so I also helped out for a qualifying match. The team qualified for the finals in Malaga, which took place in October. So in September, I started playing once or twice a week, so as not to be ridiculous in Malaga, telling myself that I would stop afterwards since I didn't have time to combine padel and tennis. Besides, since I was always at the net at the padel not knowing how to defend, I did not find it very physical.

Finally I loved the SETTEO Cup, and after that I continued to play a little. Mai Vo asked me to do a tournament, then it was the trigger.

  • Regarding his arrival in the France team

I did not expect to arrive in the France team so quickly, it was not a goal at all. I just wanted to play and that's it. At first, I didn't even know how the tournaments were organized, I didn't know all the rules. After I understood that there were not many players in France and that it was therefore possible.

  • Regarding the possibility of going to play in Spain. 

I am over 40 years old. If I was a few years younger, I might ask myself the question, but now I'm just trying to have fun. We still said with Mai that we could try to do some preprevias of the World Padel Tour. To do this 100% is not possible. If I won the Loto yes, but for the moment I have my job it is not possible. The ideal would be to work part-time and work padel the other part of the time. If I was 25, or 20, it would be completely different.

  • Beat Collombon / Ginier?

It's a great motivation to play against them. During my first P1000 in Beausoleil, we played them in the final and the path didn't seem that far. But at the French Championships it was very complicated and I think their level is going up. Alix does just that, and she is progressing in Spain. What Jess does physically is quite incredible. They are two players who are super complicated to beat, I don't think it's impossible because I think there is a way, but the pace is very high.

We try to do our best when we go out into the field, we don't say to ourselves that it's impossible because we have already stuck a little. In a few months when I will have a little more padel We'll see. May it is different, she already has qualities to annoy them. I think there are plenty of areas in which I can improve, but it's not going to happen overnight, they are way ahead.
In any case, I think it's great that we have these two players there who draw the level of padel French upwards, just like Léa and Laura, it's great to have these girls there who are focused on the padel thoroughly.

  •   Why is she playing right in her partner with Mai?

Basically I had no preferences. Given my size, I was perhaps more destined to play on the left. But Mai is incredible on the left, so I have no pretense of going to the left at the moment, and it's fine for me to play on the right.

I did a tournament with Fiona Ligi, where I was on the left, and with Line too. It was not too bad.

  • Le padel : second chance sport?

In France, the padel isn't very well broadcast yet, so at the moment it can't really be the sport of first chance. Would I have played padel rather than tennis if I had started earlier? I do not know, maybe. In any case, I think it's a very fun sport that deserves to be developed. It's not really a question of second chance: my goal is not to be number one on the World Padel Tour.

  • Concerning the opening of the FFT of men's competitions to ladies

I took advantage of it when Mai was injured, I played men's tournaments with boy partners. And next weekend, we register with Mai for the P500 gentlemen of the Big Padel Bordeaux. We are obviously not favorites, I don't think girls can win a P500 gentlemen. P250 maybe.

 

Find the + / Other internet users' questions / INSIDE in the podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YuNliGMXK0

Xan is a fan of padel. But also rugby! And his posts are just as punchy. Physical trainer of several padel, he unearths atypical posts or deals with topical subjects. It also gives you some tips to develop your physique for the padel. Clearly, he imposes his offensive style as on the field of padel !

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