Jessica Ginier is the first French female padel player with her partner Alix Collombon. Antoine Sarroste went to Lyon to interview her and discover her story around padel.

  • Hello Jessica, first of all, can you introduce yourself please?

Jessica Ginier: Hello, I was at best number 27 in French tennis. I tried to make this sport my career. Unfortunately, I had an injury at 17/18 years old. I retrained in teaching around the age of 20. And in terms of padel, I have been playing for 2 and a half years with a very good friend who was also a very good tennis player (No. 35/40 in France). She got me into padel a little, I didn't get hooked right away the first time. But then she told me that there were world championships, she sold me a bit of the dream by telling me that it was a bit in Argentina. I remember it was in February 2016, she told me that the level of the girls was accessible and that there weren't many people. In the end, we started training and we finished 6 months later 3rd in the world championships in Portugal in Lisbon. So it's a bit thanks to Alix who is still my partner today who introduced me to padel.

  • In terms of results, where are you? What are the short and medium term goals?

JG: We have two different goals now. My partner Alix went to Spain, to play padel hard and try to break through with the plan of becoming a professional. For me, it's a slightly different project, to remain the French number 1 here while trying to have fun and continue to be part of the French team with Alix.

Unfortunately, girls do not have a lot of tournaments so we do not do much. There is very little P1000 (referent tournament) unlike boys. In all, there must be 10 in France every year, we try to make 7.

  • Can you give us your view on the development of padel in France?

JG: For two years, I have seen that padel is developing and aligning with the French Tennis Federation. For example, I wasn't there, but 5 years ago in the French team, the players paid for their travel. This is no longer the case now, it is taken care of. It turns out that for the World Cup in Paraguay, they made us leave before to adapt and for the time difference. All these things are things set up by the FFT like a preparation course on the theme of the French team. We say to ourselves that they want to shake things up, we say to ourselves that they want to make this French team progress. The tournaments are more and more organized and framed even in terms of padel points.

So in terms of competition, it is developing a lot and I see that in terms of practitioners and licensees, it is developing more and more. We hope to see padel at the Olympics, in terms of visibility it would be magical. This is the main objective of the French Tennis Federation.

  • In terms of sponsorship, we know that you are with a Spanish brand, concretely how are you organized financially? Is your contract only a material contract? Do you have other sponsors?

JG: It's a material contract with a fixed one year. I am paid a little and then I have bonuses and bonuses for results on tournaments. I don't have any other sponsors though. Since I didn't really get into the project, it was a bit tricky to approach other sponsors. If in the long run it costs me money to go right, left, maybe I'll change my mind but for now that's enough for me.

  • Do you have the objective of leaving to train in Spain like the French number one in order to make it a profession? From what ranking do you make a good living, Top 50?

JG: No, my goal is not to go to Spain because quite simply I have a life here at the Tennis Club de Lyon and I have also built my life from a personal point of view. I had a house built. After that, it is not in my plans but if I learn that this sport will be at the Olympic Games in 2024, given that it is one of my dreams, maybe I will change my mind. In addition, at TCL, I got involved.

I think that from TOP 20, we start to make a good living. Beyond that, we are still a little bit even if there are sponsors who help a little but I do not think we can make a living. However, we can get to finance a full year.

  • In your opinion, what could be transposed from the Spanish model to France that would allow the massification of padel?

JG: I think it will depend initially on the structures created. If tennis clubs manage to set up padel structures, it can develop faster. Afterwards, I don't know if we will reach the level of Spain because there is a real cultural problem and perhaps because of the weather too. We see that in the North of France, it is less developed.

Even if there are beautiful structures that rise in France, we can see that in Spain, there are many outdoor grounds and also structures of crazy also inside.

  • What can padel bring to a tennis club?

JG: I think it's a fundamental asset for me because it's true that we lose, without realizing it, a few tennis licensees so it can help to retain their loyalty with a new sport that is still relatively close to tennis. For me, it can only be a plus for a tennis club. Afterwards, I often explain to people that it must be well managed. You don't just put padel courts in a club like that. You have to constantly organize activities to introduce this sport. Without initiations, people are reluctant because they don't know this sport at all. You have to do it really thoroughly.

  • In your opinion, can padel bring new customers to tennis clubs?

JG: Yes, I think so because I'm on social media a lot and I see more and more footballers who frankly play a lot. For example, I saw a video where the professional OM players were having a padel tournament among themselves in Portugal, so yes, I think we can get everyone to come.

  • Is padel a telegenic sport? Because it goes very fast and with the windows it can be annoying, right?

JG: I find it more impressive to watch padel than tennis. Well, then there is the fact that I have been immersed in tennis since I was little and I am less keen on this new sport. But you see in women's tennis, there is no weariness but there is no real craze. This is of course my personal opinion so I hope that padel is a telegenic sport.

  • Do you think that the pseudo "competition" between private structures and tennis clubs can be beneficial to tennis clubs?

JG: If all tennis clubs have padel facilities, of course it will be a disservice to private facilities. But the advantages that private facilities have, in general, are indoor courts. There are few tennis clubs that have indoor padel courts. Tennis club members risk playing padel for 6/7 months due to bad weather. As soon as winter arrives, I will be the first to go and play at Esprit Padel because it is a quality club and it is much more comfortable than the outside.

  • You will surely host at the TCL, Jérome Vanier said that it was a threat to have only one or two padel courts in a tennis club for the development of this sport.

JG: yes it can be after it's still good to have two that not at all. But it is true that it is already complicated to organize approved tournaments.

  • Are you involved in your league?

JG: I came back to the committee at the Lyon league via Gilles Moretton (President of this tennis league) to try to develop. We have had a first meeting already, we will have one in September, I am motivated to do my best to develop the sport.

  • Do you think that they are putting all the necessary means to develop this new sport of rackets?

JG: I hope so... We have always heard that the FFT was afraid that padel would take over tennis like in Spain. Now, I trust the federation that this will not be the case. If padel explodes, it will have everything to gain. The objective is for members to do both sports and also to have new members.

  • In France, training is not at all developed. Will we have to go through people like you for training? Or will we have to go to Spain so that tennis teachers can learn about padel?

Given that it is a new sport and that tennis teachers, I think that they are getting into it a little bit, can actually mean that people can come through us. But, in the long term, if teachers want to train players, which is likely to be the case if padel continues to progress, measures will have to be taken by the FFT and training will have to be set up by bringing in Spanish players/coaches or by travelling. But, at the moment, for me it is not necessary.

  • Can the professionalization of padel be a lever for the development of tennis clubs?

JG: Yes, I think because we will realize that with, for example, Johann Bergeron who is starting to earn a living, well, young people will be interested and will try to compete, that can only increase clubs up.

  • Can padel compete with tennis? Especially within tennis clubs?

JG: For me, padel is complementary to tennis because tennis remains tennis, I will not stop tennis to only play padel. It gives me pleasure from time to time to play tennis tournaments, to hit the ball etc…

  • Isn't it too hard to change and get back into padel?

JG: Everyone asks me that question, and honestly not at all except every once in a while at the net I sometimes go for a tennis kick or a rolled arm smash. But no, I enjoy both sports as much.

  • Do you think the Federation of Padel will become independent in the coming years?

JG: Well, I don't really know. That was the case before I started playing padel, I hear a lot about it. Now, it seems to be going well like that so for me it would be good if it stayed as it is now. Once again, the federation has to do what is necessary for padel. If they are doing everything they can to develop padel, they might as well keep it otherwise we could see another federation.

  • Do you have anything to add regarding the means used and possible for the development of padel?

JG: For me, we need to focus on young people. Look, we don't even have a French under-18 padel team, it's still incredible not to have one, even if it's already good to have an adult team. All the other nations have French youth teams. We need to focus on that and then the young people are the future. Currently, I'm doing a tennis course with 8/9 year olds, for me it's now that we need to introduce this new sport so that they can then try to play competitively or for fun.

Antoine Sarroste

Antoine Sarroste studied padel. He offers us his expertise on the development of padel in France.

On the same subject

Tags