François Rajnic: “Being a professional padel player is risky”

François Rajnic is a young player who participated in his first international tournament Stratford FIP Rise. The opportunity for us to interview this Frenchman who won two matches in qualifying for the London tournament alongside his partner, English No. 8 George Weller.

“A non-selection still difficult to accept”

I am François Rajnic, I am 19 years old, I was born in 2004. Like many, I started with tennis at the age of 4, and around the age of 13, I discovered padel thanks to my coach, Baptise Delvienne. This meeting gave me the desire to specialize in padel and leave tennis behind. I then joined the Palavas club, known for having very good young players in France. Thanks to Yannick Maurel's advice, I learned a lot about this sport. I participated in the French youth interleague championship, which was a difficult time for me, with a disqualification due to COVID, followed by a non-selection for the French team, which was hard to accept.

“I feel good in London”

My ambitions are to have fun as soon as I step on the pitch and to give the best of myself in every match. My goals have evolved since the start of my studies; I'm no longer looking to accumulate points, but rather to play tournaments when I'm really motivated. I played for a year with Yoan Boronad, who became one of my best friends. Since then, I've had trouble finding a permanent partner in France, which has demoralized me a little. In London where I studied, I met Franckie Langan and George Weller, with whom I was able to train and therefore participate in the Stratford FIP.

“I don’t want to “survive” with padel”

I am in my second year of business school in the sports business in London. Life here is expensive, so it is a challenge to play alongside the lessons. My ambitions in padel are clear: I do not want to make it my job, because I do not have the level and I do not want to "survive" with the little that padel currently brings in. My goal is to work in the world of padel.

“A positive experience”

The experience was positive in this FIP Rise. For my first participation in a tournament of this size, I managed to qualify for the final draw. Our first match in the table was not easy, our opponents were well ahead. I was impressed by their physical intensity, it requires a lot of rigor and effort.

“Come back stronger in France”

Financially, FIP tournaments are often at a loss between registration, hotel and travel. I respect those who invest in a professional career despite the sacrifices. I will probably do more FIPs in the future, as I like to travel and the FIP circuit is ideal for that. The next stop will perhaps be Bourg-en-Bresse with George Weller. In France, when I return, I will see who I can play with and I hope to come back even stronger.

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.