Favorable draw and top atmosphere: Fiona Ligi talks to us about French ambitions

On the eve of the start of the 2024 World Padel Championships in Qatar, Fiona Ligi, a member of the French women's team, shares her impressions on the atmosphere, preparation and ambitions of the French group. With a favorable draw and successful acclimatization to local conditions, the team says it is ready to give its all to secure a place of honor in the competition.

“The feeling is improving for the team and me”

“For my part, the sensations are getting better and better, and it's the same for the team. The first few days were a bit difficult, the time to adapt to the conditions: climate, heat, vent… All of this required an adjustment. The first day was complicated, but from the second, and especially yesterday, everything was really much better. Today, we are going to train again. It is a real advantage to have arrived 3-4 days before to acclimatize.”

Rotations and tests to prepare the best combinations

“We’ve been playing a lot with pairs. Robin wanted to try out different combinations, which is great because it’s allowed us to play as partners and opponents. It’s really great to have that diversity, it allows us to adapt better and create automatisms.”

A close-knit and caring team atmosphere

“The atmosphere is great, it doesn't change! We have a great team, very close-knit and caring, and I think it is this cohesion that allows us to perform on the field, to free ourselves and to acclimatize more quickly.”

Impatience and confidence on the eve of the competition

“Tonight we have our last training session at 17pm before the competition starts tomorrow. We are all eager to get started. We feel good, both on and off the pitch, thanks to this good atmosphere. With these days of training, we are ready to give our best and give it our all together, from the beginning to the end of the competition.”

A favorable draw for France

“As for the draw, we are doing well. Let us remember that we finished in 7th place at the last World Cup, so chance could have placed us in a complicated group. We are in a tough group, but France avoids the heavyweights and is probably the favourite, especially since we won the bronze medal at the European Championships in Sardinia a few months ago. There will be a fight, but that's what we like, it's positive pressure. We'll give it our all to come out on top of our group, which would allow us to avoid the top seeds in the main draw.”

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.