Jeff Planchais, padel teacher at TC Baillargues, looks back on his career and the development of his club's padel section. He also shares his opinion on the recent P1000 from Baillargues and addresses the current challenges of padel

His story with padel

“My journey with padel began in Laval, in Mayenne. I was a tennis teacher and I had friends who were getting into padel. After my lessons, I would join them to play, especially with Simon Boissé, who managed the structure in Laval.

When I moved to the South, to Baillargues, to continue teaching tennis, I discovered that padel was already well established there, especially around Montpellier. I quickly started playing regularly with friends in Palavas and participating in tournaments, which allowed me to climb the rankings until reaching the top 100.

Later, I suggested to my club to develop a padel section. My sports director was immediately receptive to the idea, and we started by creating three padel courts. To supervise this new activity, I obtained the necessary diplomas to become a padel teacher. Today, we have five courts, we have nearly 300 members dedicated to padel, and I am surrounded by a team of 4 to 5 teachers who share this adventure with me.

I haven't left tennis, which remains my favourite sport and in which I am still involved. What particularly attracted me to padel is above all the spirit of the game. I really appreciate the fact of not being alone on the court during competitions, of being able to count on a partner, of sharing moments with friends.”

Feedback on the Baillargues P1000

“Honestly, the tournament went really well, even with the bad weather on Saturday. Fortunately, we had a plan B, which allowed us to move everything indoors in the afternoon. Despite the rain, the organization held up. As for the feedback, it was really excellent. On Sunday, we welcomed around 150 spectators for the semi-finals and finals, and the atmosphere was incredible.

P1000 Baillargues July 2024

Honestly, we ran a P1000 that was more like a P1500 or even a P2000 in terms of quality. For the coming seasons, in 2025-2026, it is very likely that we will move up a gear and take the tournament to a higher level.”

P1000 Baillargues: live, programming, results…

The black spots of padel

“My main concern in padel is that the best players end up playing only among themselves. And that's already the case, let's be honest. When you're in the top 50, when you have the time and the means, you can hardly go down because all you have to do is put yourself with a top player and you enter a big tournament in 16th, or even 8th when you're in the top and of course, you're already in the points so you can't go down, even if you don't get good results. Those who go down are those who don't play.

The problem is that tournaments at the highest level often see the same players, the same pairs, and this leaves little room for newcomers to impose themselves. A dominant pair in a region can systematically win, without surprises. Perhaps at some point, the number of participations for pairs that accumulate too many victories should be limited, to allow others to shine.

Another black point for me is also the management of registrations and cancellations for tournaments. There are many players who register and then cancel at the last minute, sometimes even for several tournaments at the same time, to finally choose the one where they think they have the best chance. This disrupts the organization enormously.”

Dorian Massy

New padel fan, I am fascinated by this dynamic sport that combines strategy and agility. I find in padel a new passion to explore and share with you on Padel Magazine.

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