When for his Cupra Padel Point Tour au Padel Club of Bandol, Alice of Caunes interviewed one of the “elders” of padel French and current coach padel in Bandol: Aurelien Grandmont.

Hard tracks and concrete walls

“My beginnings at padel dates back to 2011. There were hard tracks, concrete walls, and soft fences. I worked in a high school, and next door there was a club of padel, that of Jean-Marc Dalain. Having played tennis when I was young, I fell in love with padel, and here I am in front of you 12 years later.

My best memory remains Mexico in 2012 during the Worlds. It was amazing! The worst memories, for me, are the mixed tournaments. It's never really a good idea…”

From Worlds to coaching

“I had the chance to make the worlds in 2012, a year after my debut in this sport. I never really had the ambition to be part of the France team, even if obviously, I was very happy to take part in the Team France adventure that year. I never really professionalized myself, because it was always for fun. The coaching part, on the other hand, I love. This year, I followed Laura Clergue and Fiona Ligi, and I am moving more and more towards this aspect which I really like.”

team france world 2012 mexico

Tournaments can be tough for beginners

“Tournaments can be difficult for beginners. I think there should be categories that take into account not only the weight of a pair, which is already the case, but also the ranking of the players. For example, prohibit the top 100 from participating in P100s. It can be frustrating for new players to always lose. It is important that they win sometimes, for their confidence and their morale.”

The P25: New categories of tournaments padel

The Gustavo Kuerten t-shirt

“At the time, I was playing with Julien Lacroix and Mathieu Abautret, and we bought the same t-shirt: the Gustavo Kuerten from Roland-Garros. Except that we took a few defeats with this t-shirt, so we don't wear it anymore!

Next year, we will again host a stage of the Cupra Padel Point Tour. It is going very well, and there is a very good atmosphere. Cheer."

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovers the padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since padel is part of his life. You often see him touring France going to cover the major events of padel French.

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