Bastien Blanqué: “I am a PUR player padel"

From football to padel

I was more football when I was younger ... But I started the Padel in 2009 at the age of 14.

My story in the padel starts when I go to discover with my family one Sunday a sports club in Blagnac "Paddle Plus".

I see for the first time a field of padel. I test this sport, I get a taste so quickly that I register the following week at the club of padel.

I then played several years at Paddle Plus with Frédéric Savin coach who unfortunately left us following an illness.

Interview with Fred Savin and Philippe Marsan: Paddle PLus

Do not come from tennis, is not a handicap

Of course, having good feelings with a racket tennis, squash, table tennis or otherwise are necessarily better than having no liability with the racket games.

But not to practice one of these sports, is not necessarily a handicap. Because I observe most often that these racket players rely on their knowledge and think they already know how to play. If there is no questioning of these types of players, it's over for them. They will never be able to evolve in this sport.

On the other hand, intelligent players on the field with already certain achievements, that can be very bad afterwards… And we can see it clearly today in France, with former very good tennis players who quickly succeed in playing well at the tennis court. padel.

The advantage when you do not come from tennis is that you can quickly get rid of the faults that tennis players have. For example, never letting go of the ball because tennis is the exact opposite.

The fact of wanting to play topspin at all costs while at padel, we will tend to try to bounce the ball as little as possible.

I do not play tennis, but I do not hurt, you can not find? 🙂

In 9 years, the padel has changed dimension ...

I started young and saw the Padel in France to develop. Its evolution is enormous!

When I started there was very little ground and not a huge number of players.

Over the past 3/4 years, the padel has clearly developed. The resumption of padel by the French Tennis Federation has been a good thing for this sport in France.

If it is true that it was already in 2013 on a very positive slope, since 2014, we see more and more clubs open everywhere in France.

We are also benefiting from a global dynamism around the padel. THE padel is developing on all continents. All the lights are green to be Olympic.

A gap generation

In Spain, there is a generation ahead of France. We can see it with Jo (Bastien's partner Johan Bergeron) on the Spanish tournaments.

But we are fighting to try to break into the circuit of World Padel Tour.

Appointment in 10 or 15 years in France it will become a major sport in France with professional players integrating the finals of the professional circuit, and even win!

Training, training ...

Since the beginning of our adventure with Jo, we have been training with Ramiro Choya and professional players, especially at Sunset in Madrid. A place where there are a lot of very good players from padel.

And we see how far we are from the best ... But little by little ... 🙂

The puerta, my thing!

My favorite shot in the padel : Do a "Puerta", get out of the field to play ball, I like that!

I like spectacular points.

I also like the smash in return of glass, and defend in the windows ...

I hate to lose spectacular points

Make spectacular points and win YES, but losing them is too hard! 😉

Thanks to the partners

I would like to thank all our sponsors for this year 2018: Babolat Padel, Leclerc, Leclerc Voyages, 2 AS Alliance Alarme Sécurité, Krys, Tennis club of Dardilly Champagne, Padel Shopping, Gites at JT, Sanset Padel Indoor and Blackroll.

A thank you to the FFT who was sensitive to our project and who will help us for this year 2018!

Thanks also to everyone who participated in our KISSKISSBANKBANK prize pool, we achieved our goal 🙂

Franck Binisti - Padel Magazine