Dorian Navarro: “Consolidate my position as French number 1 in wheelchair padel!”

Victim of a tragic accident in July 2017 during a camping holiday, Dorian Navarro became paraplegic following a “stupid game” which consisted in waking him up by dragging his tent in the car, at 40 km/h. Result: the tent hits a tree and Dorian has a fracture of two dorsal vertebrae.

Strong in character and determination, this former firefighter and lifeguard does not let himself be put off by this difficult ordeal and devotes himself fully to wheelchair padel, a sort of lifebuoy.

His courage, his tenacity and his unfailing will have today made him the French number 1 in the discipline.

From tennis to padel, quite a story

I was already a tennis player before, at my little level. But following my accident, I immediately resumed sport in a rehabilitation center and I decided in September 2018 to really get into it. So I looked a bit at what was possible, and I headed for wheelchair tennis since the club in my town had a wheelchair tennis section.

So I did four years of wheelchair tennis, during which I managed to become French No. 10, 60th in the world and 69th in doubles.

Behind all this, in June 2022, I had some problems including one in my right shoulder following my accident (a fracture of the scapula). I had already started padel in September 2021.

Some friends had called me to be the 4th player in a game and I immediately took a liking to it. After that I continued, we had our little weekly padel meeting, but I still remained 100% focused on tennis.

In February 2022, I participated in the first wheelchair padel tournament approved by the French Tennis Federation, which took place in Nice. I didn't imagine doing that at first! But I told myself that if, alongside tennis, I could do two or three tournaments a year, that would always be nice, plus I really liked this sport. I took a liking to it little by little.

So in September 2022, I made the decision to stop playing tennis in order to dedicate myself 100% to padel because I realized that the fun on the padel court was more important than on the tennis court. So from September 2022, I started training 100% in padel, with the same rhythm that I had in tennis.

I ended 2022 with a victory at the French Masters with my teammate. I started the 2023 season in France correctly since in my first four French tournaments, I had three wins and a final.

What I like about wheelchair padel is the fact that it mixes an individual and team sport. I also like the fact that it is a baseline sport, with few attacks to the net. What convinced me to definitely switch to padel was not only the new aspect that was offered to me, but also, I find that this sport is more attractive and less individualistic than tennis.

New goals for the French number 1 in wheelchair padel?

As a goal, I already have to keep my place as number 1. It's really the main goal, since for the moment, the international tour is not yet established. So suddenly, my first objective remains France.

But I also have two other objectives which are to be able to perform in Spain and to be able to have good results also in the national team since Friday begins Wheelchair Padel World Championships. I will therefore represent the France team in Spain.

2023, the year of all challenges

2023 is the year of ascension, we hope. I think this year will be pivotal because we need more than just playing. We also need to show wheelchair padel and it is very energy-intensive, that is to say we have to go and canvass, we have to expect that we will be told no…

It's not just me, there are a lot of people involved in all of this as well, and we're really trying to all pull in the same direction.

When will we be back on the slopes with Tony Boval?

For the moment, we have nothing programmed together but I hope to be able to play with him again soon. Inevitably, there, there is a risk of having a summer break in the calendar given the heat … but yes, I hope that in the second half of the season, we will meet again.

I had a lot of fun playing with him so I really hope to be able to compete again with Tony.

Still work for the discipline to be better recognized

Padel is gaining momentum in France in 2023. Everyone has pushed in the same direction, which leads to a fabulous development. For me, the universe is different in terms of mentality.

I take for example the case of Italian players who are considered and invited as players. In France, already among the able-bodied it's complicated so we are late, as in all sports. France lacks this spirit of conviviality.

We must highlight our sport which is still a little obscure. Some people don't do their job when it comes to visibility. We should have more people talking about it. It was Christian Collange who unblocked the thing.

It has been a war to organize tournaments (first exhibition in 2017 and since then nothing in 5 years). It lacks the support of Federations which are not at the level despite the performance of French athletes. Hopefully they will keep their word and be inspired by other countries.

Also, in Spain, professional players came to see our competition, which is unthinkable in France because too little visibility.

Use social networks

On my scale, social networks are a great vector of communication. For me, this involvement is mandatory. Social networks used wisely, it's incredible, so I try at my little level to use them as best I can. The game is worth the candle !

I develop this on Instagram during the summer, but not for glory. What interests me is carrying out projects. With the will and the desire, we can do great things. If I can help people who are going through what I've been through, I'll have won everything! Maybe in five years, it will have made things happen, but in any case, for me, it's a necessity to do that.

The future of wheelchair padel

For me what is most important for the moment would be a development of the France team and better help from the Federation. I know they do a lot, but here it is, to really take us into account, that would be great!

At the international level, it would be to arrive at one time or another to have an international circuit. It doesn't come up like that, but for example the initiative for the World Cup comes from the Spanish Handisport Federation. So I hope that in the future, this partnership will continue.

Eleonore Coulibaly

What a pleasure to be a journalist in the padel world, an attractive sport in full expansion. I hope you enjoy the content offered. See you soon on the slopes!