Partners just a few days before Bordeaux Premier Padel P2 players Philémon Raichman and Lucas Pillon competed in their first tournament together against a very high-level pair (Sager/Belluati). Despite a loss, the two Frenchmen took away many positive lessons. For 18-year-old Lucas Pillon, this first P2 tournament on home soil also confirms his progress, just days before participating in the French national team's training camp as a sparring partner. They reflect on the beginnings of their partnership, their match, the advice received from the bench, and the ambitions of the young Bordeaux native. 

 "We ended up together at the last minute." 

 Padel Magazine It was a completely unprecedented association. How was it formed? 

 Philémon Raichman:  Initially, we were each supposed to play with a different partner. Lucas was supposed to play with a player who ended up getting injured and had to withdraw. As for me, I was supposed to play with Thomas Vanbauce, but our project fell through. So we both found ourselves available.

 Lucas Pillon:  It all came together very easily, but really at the last minute. My partner was injured, and Philémon also found himself without a partner. In the end, it felt quite natural to play together.

 "We went there without any pressure." 

 Padel Magazine You were facing a very strong pair right from the start… 

 Lucas Pillon:  Personally, I went there without any pressure. The goal was still to win, obviously, but above all to enjoy ourselves. We knew we were playing a very strong pair. We didn't start very well, but then we managed to raise our level afterwards.

 Philémon Raichman:  We don't often get the chance to face players of this caliber, even less so in the conditions of a Premier Padel P2, which are quite different from FIP tournaments. The start of the match was complicated, it took some time to find our bearings.

Then we came back strong in the first set. At 5-4, we even had a break point that could have completely turned the set around. In the second set, they gave away far fewer free points, and we made a few more errors. Against this kind of team, you pay for those mistakes immediately.

Bordeaux P2: "We met at the last minute"... The promising debuts of Philémon Raichman and Lucas Pillon

 "By simplifying our game, we rediscovered our feel for it." 

 Padel Magazine What changed after that difficult start to the match? 

 Lucas Pillon:  I think we simply stopped trying to do too much. At the beginning, we were perhaps looking for complicated solutions when we needed to play more simply. As soon as we went back to a more basic style of play, with fewer mistakes, we started to offer some real fight. We were much more solid.

 Philémon Raichman:  There were some very good moments. Now the challenge is to maintain this level for longer. Any drop in intensity or quality is immediately noticeable on the scoreboard against players like them. But there are many positives to take away, and it was a real pleasure to play a P2 team in France, especially for Lucas, who was practically playing at home.

 "The coach asked us to stay active and keep things simple." 

 Padel Magazine What were the main pieces of advice received from the bench? 

 Philémon Raichman:  He mainly asked us to put in a lot of energy. The conditions were quite slow and it was easy to get sleepy. He also emphasized very simple patterns: use more lobs to the right-hand player, make the left-hand player defend more, play quickly to the feet… Nothing extraordinary in the end, but as soon as we applied these instructions, it worked.

 Lucas Pillon:  The break we conceded at 2-2 hurt us. It was a series of small mistakes. We made them, they didn't. Against players of this caliber, it's these details that make the difference.

Bordeaux P2: "We met at the last minute"... The promising debuts of Philémon Raichman and Lucas Pillon

 "I am fortunate to train with the best French athletes." 

 Padel Magazine Lucas, at 18 years old, what is your daily life like? 

 Lucas Pillon:  I train from Monday to Friday. In the morning, I play between one and a half and three hours of padel. Then, two to three times a week, I have physical conditioning sessions with a lot of strength training. I also work with virtual reality to develop reflexes and reaction speed.

I also have a mental coach whom I see, generally, once a week when I'm not in a tournament. However, I don't yet have a nutritionist, even though I know it's an important part of performance.

 Padel Magazine You operate in a very demanding environment on a daily basis. 

 Lucas Pillon:  Yes, I consider myself very lucky. We often talk about Maxime Joris or Nicolas Rouanet, but there's also Elios Arrat and many other players in the French Top 50. Having a training group of this caliber is a huge opportunity to improve.

 "My goal is to join the French national team." 

 Padel Magazine You're going to participate in the French team's training camp as a sparring partner. What does that entail? 

 Lucas Pillon:  I'm very happy to be participating. It's already a great experience. But my goal is clear: next year, I'd like to be selected as a player.

I'm not going to put any pressure on myself. I simply want to show what I can do, continue to improve, and above all, make the most of this opportunity. Making the French national team one day is definitely one of my career goals.

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.

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