Benjamin Tison has become the new French No. 1 in padel with his partner Adrien Maigret. After successful worlds in Paraguay, Benjamin looks back on his 2 years of padel "completely crazy". He talks about him, his relations with Adriens and his ambitions internationally.

Your first words after this 4e place in the world?

There was a very strong atmosphere with the boys 'team and the girls' team. It was my 1e selection for a world championship and I was delighted, everything went perfectly, we get an 4e place, something that had never been done in France is that the bonus but the Pleasure was really very big.

With hindsight, the package at the open a good choice?

We sacrificed our open because we played in the evening against Uruguay in quarterfinal and we wanted to arrive in the best possible arrangements for the team. At the time, there was of course frustration but it was what had to be done for the team so if I had to make this choice today with hindsight I will do the same. The main goal is the team championship and I have no regrets.

 3e place it was possible?

Brazil is the big team behind Argentina and Spain that is a bit inaccessible to us. We knew it but we had all said before the match that we could do something great and we believed in it. Jeremy and Robin made an incredible match against Pablo Lima and Jardim. With Adrien we play two players a little less strong but who play very well. We make an extraordinary 1er set, then there is my little fall, we get a little scare and we break just behind and we go back to the fight. We lose 7 / 5 3e set but it's more pride than regret because it was an incredible match. This is the kind of match where we are at the top of our level and it does not miss much to reach this level there.

Your fall for the 3e place has affected your match?

I take the ball in the head and I fall a little unconscious by tapping in the glass. I was sounded for 10 minutes, the rest of the match I'm not very lucid but when I watch the game I do not feel that my level of play was too affected by this fall.

 A slow start to finish off?

This is not too good for the whole team, it's more of a game apart, I think Jeremy and Robin on the 1er match against Paraguay because Jo and Bastien had a great match, Adrien and I too with a little pressure for an 1er match. Having played 12 days in a row 2 times a day makes you feel good at the end. It never happened to me to play so much. In the end I feel like I'm on a cloud and that can not happen to me much.

Our best performances we did against Portugal and Brazil and we reached our peak in terms of level today. The game against Brazil was the same level as against Portugal in terms of intensity except that the Brazilians already knew us maybe a little more. It's the same style of match, we break the entrance, they are surprised by our aggressive game and behind it is a huge fight.

Le padel brought you closer to Adrien Maigret?

I have known Adrien since the age of 5, we knew each other in tournaments, we had been friends for a long time and the padel brought us together through our style of play and our understanding on the pitch. We are always exemplary towards each other and to pull up.

International views?

When we started the padel we left to try to win in France. and for me it was unthinkable to go to Spain to train or to do WPT stages, it's very expensive. When we do a competition like the world championships it leaves us a little dreamy and it makes us want to go see above what is happening. You have to be brave because these are sacrifices but I think about it more and more. It is quite possible that in the future I will be a little more in Spain. The fact that we are the only ones (with Mathieu Lapouge) of the France team not to be in Spain, we have less defeats and less opposition, big matches and suddenly we learn less quickly.

From when the adventure on the WPT?

Not until September of next year. I am currently in sporting season with my club and it is impossible that I leave before. However, next year it is not unthinkable that I can make a year that will change my everyday life here in France.

As a French 1 number, it puts more pressure?

It is a great pride, I am very happy ... I will trade well against the title of champion of France anyway. Being number 1 French is the culmination of a year but the fact that Bastien, Johan, Robin, Jeremy are in Spain and make less competitions than us it removes a little flavor. If Jo and Bastien had done the same number of tournaments it would have been more rewarding.

We feel with Adrien that we are more expected at tournaments, we are now considered as favorites. Jo and Bastien showed at the French championships that they had reached a very high level, we won the first 2 confrontations against them, they won the next two. It shows that they are getting used to our game and that we have to improve to surprise them again. In any case, this competition is healthy and advances all padel French.

 Enough competition in France?

There are a good twenty or so very good players in France, but what is happening above all is that in tournaments there are not always these players. We end up on tournaments with 2 or 3 good players. The fact that there is more and more p1000 in France leads to the fact that the tournaments are less raised. To have a level above
and progress you have to go to Spain.

 Too many elite tournaments in France?

Having p1000 every weekend and sometimes even 2 a weekend is good for the development of the padel but for the elite it is not a good thing because the players are dispersed, the level is lower.

Interview by Franck Binisti

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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