That's it, the posters for the first round of the main draw of the Greenweez Paris Major are known and there will be big fights on the Philippe Chatrier center.
Among the reactions, Carla Touly, Bastien Blanqué and Thomas Leygue expressed their opinions on their prints.
- Carla Toully / Jessica Ginier-Babier – Marta Talavan (29) / Julieta Bidahorria (39)
- Johan Bergeron / Bastien Blanqué – Jose David Sanchez Serrano (80) / Diego Gil (82)
- Thomas Leygue / Ignacio Piotto Albornoz – Qualified Pair
Carla Touly: “On paper, it’s not a good draw”
Padel Magazine : “You finally know your opponents, can you say a word about them?”
Carla: “Well, I don’t know them as well as Alix (Collombon), since she’s his former partner (Julieta Bidahorria). So, I’m going to ask him a few things. I know they play very well, they’re the number 18 pair, which means they’re among the best in the draw. I’m very happy and really looking forward to playing.”
PM: “So, I think you’ve already crossed swords with Marta Talavan in the past?”
Carla: “So, Jess played it in Toulouse, I think, on the World Padel Tour, and I have never played them. But with Alix and Benjamin (Tison), we will find some information.”
PM: “Have you already communicated with Jessica Ginier? How do you estimate this draw?”
Carla: “I think Jess doesn’t know yet. The 16 seeds have a bye, and we’re playing TS18. So, on paper, it’s not a good draw. However, when you’re in a Roland Garros main draw, every match is tough. It could be that playing a qualified pair would have been tougher, we don’t know. We're going to have a great time with Jess, put our game together and see what happens..
Bastien Blanque: “It’s going to be a real fight!”
PM: “Bastien, you know your opponents. So, how did the races go?”
Bastien: “A pretty good draw, we could have had better and we could have had worse. I would say 70/30 in their favor or 60/40, but in any case, we will give it our all. With Jo (Bergeron), we are confident. Me, I just won the French Championships with Thomas (Leygue), so I am also confident. I feel ready for this tournament. I experienced huge emotions on this Philippe Chatrier court a few years ago, so I hope to experience the same thing again”
PM: “Have you ever played these two players (Diego Gil / José David Sánchez)?”
Bastien: “Diego Gil, I’ve already played him, and José David Sánchez, I don’t think so. I’ve already trained with him many times. Diego Gil, I’ve already faced him with Thomas and other players in Spain. The tracks seem rather slow to me, and I don’t think they’re players who like that, so it’s going to be a real fight. We’re going to give it our all with Jo.”
PM: “Are the conditions pretty good for your game?”
Bastien: “It’s pretty good for my game, but I like it when the track goes out a bit anyway to be able to counter too. It’s positive for us. We’ll see if the temperature rises in the coming days, maybe it will be a little warmer. In any case, we’re going to give it our all, and come in large numbers to encourage us.”
Thomas Leygue: “We are among the best draws”
PM: “A brief summary of this draw?”
Thomas : "Quite happy overall. It's true that there are no easy pairs. We're playing against qualifiers, so we don't really know our opponents. It's a bit of a 50/50, because some of the qualifying pairs are at the same level as the players in the final draw. We'll see, but we're one of the best draws."
PM: “Which pairs were to be avoided?”
Thomas : "First of all, those ranked from 9 to 16, so avoid the seeded players, and especially avoid playing against the French. It's always quite complicated to play against compatriots in Paris."
PM: “A quick word on the draw of Dylan Guichard / Clément Geens and Thomas Vanbauce / Maxime Joris?”
- Dylan Guichard / Clément Geens – Alvaro Cepero (44) / Miguel Benitez Lara (52)
- Maxime Joris / Thomas Vanbauce – Ignacio Sager (35) / Salva Oria (40)
Thomas : "I think Thomas, Max, Dylan and Clément had the two worst draws among the wildcards. It's true that Cepero / Benítez, for Dylan, is a confident pair, so we'll see on a slow pitch. Good luck to them, in any case!"
PM: "Who doesn't know Sager? He's one of your best friends. Are you going to give advice to your buddy Sager or the French pair?"
Thomas : "Ignacio is one of my best friends in Madrid. We've been training together for 3 or 4 years. I'll obviously be with the French, but I won't go shouting at my friend in the stadium."
PM: “How should you play against Sager?”
Thomas : "I think Max and Thomas are at an advantage with the conditions. It will be very slow, the balls don't come out, so playing against Ignacio in these conditions is ideal. I will give them some tactical advice, but it will be in private."
A fan of oval ball, round ball and also racket sports, he was bitten by padel during his adolescence in Galicia. As comfortable in front of the camera as behind a microphone, Vince will be able to bring his vision and expertise as a passionate fan of the little yellow ball.