Between Victories and Disappointments: Lucile Pothier's European Odyssey

Lucile Pothier, the “MVP of the French team” during the European Games, answers questions from Franck Binisti. She looks back on the highlights of the competition, but also on her doubts, her disappointments.

Coming back without a medal is a disappointment

Franck Binisti: During the European Games, you, with Thomas Leygue, obtained 4th place with France.

Lucile Pothier : It was a long week full of frustration. I believed in this medal so much that it was difficult to leave without it. But, after discussion with Robin, Pablo and those who follow me, I could see the positive. They pointed out to me the incredible journey that I have made, and the fact that I only train twice a week while I play against people who train every day. It's true, it was a great week, but we would have liked to win the medal, so there is always a little disappointment. However, I mostly remember the positive and this wonderful experience.

I doubted, but they made me realize my good matches

FB: You questioned yourself after the final, wondering if you had played well or not, but you were told that you were the “MVP of the match”, even of the week. What does this mean for you?

LP: Those who know me will say that I am indeed very demanding and a perfectionist. I often remember two or three mistakes rather than the whole thing, but Robin helped me a lot to step back and realize that I had a good game. Over the past few months, I've gained more and more confidence, and I've started to build the point and let Jess finish, she who excels in this area. I made good progress, and it showed in the matches. Despite the lack of habit of playing 5 days in a row, I gained confidence as the week went on and I was lucky to have Jess and Thomas by my side.

FB: Can you tell us about your evolution on the track?

LP: I went from an attacking position to a point builder position, which was a big evolution for me. It's a change that takes a lot of tweaking, but has allowed me to bring a new dimension to my game. I've also started playing more regularly, which has helped increase my confidence and skills on field. It has been an amazing learning experience, and I look forward to seeing where it takes me in the future.

Playing right matches my personality

FB: I remember that when you started, I almost always saw you on the left. Now I always see you on the right. Has there been an evolution? Did other players influence you to make this change?

LP: Yes, indeed, I started on the left: I immediately found myself in this position because I had a good smash, so I was told “Lucile, pass to the left”. But ultimately, playing on the right fits more with my personality, as I like to be conservative and avoid mistakes.

I do not regret this change. At the moment, I feel pretty good on the right. And if it is true that on the left, there is a little more spice and madness, I find my place on the right.

FB: How did the organization of these European Games go? What was the atmosphere within the France team?

LP: The organization was a little disparate at the beginning. The pitches weren't finished when we arrived, but everything was sorted out in time for the competition. Regarding the atmosphere within the team, it was the first selection for Carla Touly, so it allowed us to know her better. There was a good atmosphere in the team despite the pressure of the competition.

The defeats of comrades affect

FB: Did the defeats have an impact on the atmosphere in the team and on the rest of the matches?

LP : Defeats are always difficult to manage. For example, when Jeremy and Tom lost, we were affected. But that didn't stop us from sticking together and supporting each other.

It was tough for Thomas after his loss, but he was able to bounce back in our mixed match the next day. On the field, he was thorough and he brought his experience and his positivity to our duo.

FB: Thomas seemed a little timorous when he had to play against the girls in the mixed matches. Was there a discussion about this with him or with the coach?

LP: Yes, there have been a lot of discussions on this subject within the team and with the coaches. Thomas was rather reluctant, but we decided to go anyway because there was a medal at stake.

FB: Did you sometimes deliberately avoid targeting girls during matches?

LP: No, we just played the game. However, we avoided targeting girls specifically. In the event of an accidental collision, we immediately apologized to maintain sportsmanship.

Personally, I enjoyed the experience because I'm used to playing in mixed matches. It was a new experience and I found it very interesting.

I'm all for mixed competitions, although I understand some people don't. However, the schedule was a bit complicated as we had to play the mixed matches before the main draw, which created some tension. Maybe that could be improved.

FB: Which match particularly marked you, for good or bad, during the week?

LB : The match I enjoyed the most was against Portugal with Thomas in the quarter-finals. We managed to come back after losing the first set and that helped me gain more aggression in my game. On the other hand, the bronze medal game was the most frustrating, because we came very close to the to take with.

“Perhaps I should have imposed myself more against Spain”

FB: According to you, what was missing against the Spaniards with Jess during the Open Ladies?

LB : What we missed was perhaps better rhythm management. We lost a break quite easily in the third set due to a slack in our serves. Subsequently, we ran after this station wagon and we did not manage to catch up with it.

FB: Can you tell us about when you and Jess shared the same area on the pitch, which sometimes seemed to bother you?

LP: Yes, indeed, there were times when Jess and I found ourselves in the same area. This can happen when the game gets tough. I don't blame Jess for that at all because she has a great desire to win and that sometimes translates into aggressiveness in the game, that's one of her strengths. Maybe she's a little more exhausted than usual on this point.

Me on my side, I should have perhaps imposed myself a little more. I felt like I was not overwhelmed, especially in the third set. Maybe I should have pushed myself a bit more. It is in any case a valuable experience for the next matches.

FB: Do you think that'it would have been tactically preferable that Jess stays a little more in her zone?

LP: This is a difficult question. Just because she often comes over to my side doesn't mean that's a problem. When I'm less well, she comes to do the work for me and that saves us a lot. She translated her desire to win by wanting to get those balls. On the other hand, maybe I should have imposed myself a little more and told him to stay on his side to conserve his energy.

With hindsight, perhaps we could have handled the situation differently. If we had waited one more move before taking an action, it might have changed the situation. But with “if”, we redo all the matches. It is experience that makes us learn.

“If we played more, we could have gone further”

FB: Do you regret not having participated in more tournaments to have a better ranking and perhaps avoid formidable opponents earlier in the competition?

LP: It's true that we asked ourselves this question with Jess. We put in a good performance despite the fact that we only train once or twice a week because we have a job on the side. But we also tell ourselves that if we played more often, we might have been able to win these matches. It is a question of life project, it requires a great questioning.

I would like to play more, but I have a job on the side and I travel a lot to train. You have to find a balance between work, sport and personal life. It is a choice to be made and a reflection to be carried out.

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.