Laura Clergue, the 2nd French player of padel gave us a very nice interview in the show on INSTAGRAM, “Le face-à-face”. The 57th player in the world looked back on her adventure in the padel with its ups and downs.

An interview that allows us to get to know one of the pillars of the French team better. padel.

  • A start in the padel unbelievable

Former tennis player, I started padel with in particular Audrey Casanova who has become a friend. We have had a great adventure together. In particular, we were twice French champions of padel.

Admittedly, the time was different from today because the competition was much less harsh, but for a player who was only one or two years old padel in the legs, it was great.

I remember our beginnings with the whole Set Club gang in Aix with Jean-Marc Lenoir. We have the impression that it has been so far already when it was only in 2015! What a journey and what a development of our sport since. And I remember the first exhibition padel, it was with you (ndlr. Inauguration of the padel in Manosque).

Le padel is an incredible adventure. I stopped my engineering profession to get into padel. And now I live in Spain where I give everything to succeed on the circuit of World Padel Tour.

  • Ginier / Collombon: Players who moved the lines

There was a before and an after Collombon / Ginier. For sure. They are two very talented players who quickly managed to get everyone to agree. We can only applaud with both hands since they fly over the French circuit.

Who has not had the right to his 6/1 or 6/0 against the champions of France on the French circuit?

What is even more so is our French UFO, Jessica Ginier. The best French players are in Spain and / or train a lot. Jessica manages to be always operational when she does not only have the padel in life. She's just incredibly good.

They also bring into the game an energy, a style that we did not have until then in France.

The ego allows you to move forward. And the girls want to fight to try to make their lives more complicated in France. But it is far from being so simple.

  • The level increases on the professional circuit

It's very complicated, because the competition is stiff on the professional circuit of padel. And I can tell you that today's level in girls is growing. There are no more easy matches. Obviously, you have to manage to return as late as possible and thus avoid trap matches. It is the objective this year when the season resumes to start at least in the previas and if possible eventually in the main draw. But there are still a lot of roads.

  • With Léa, we have ambition

With Léa Godallier, the current is going very well. We had some very good matches together on the World Padel Tour. And obviously, we would have liked to play matches in France and face the Ginier / Collombon pair to see where we are. Even if we know that they are logically the favorites in France. We are, Lea and I, in full progress. So why not capsize the hegemony of Lyon in France?

It is true that our exchanges on the ground were not exceptional 2 years ago in the world in Paraguay. But I take my responsibilities on the level of play at that time. I was in full doubt and inevitably it felt on the ground. Poor Lea had to keep us afloat during the matches. Today, I am much stronger in the head and in the field. I found the potato and the game.

  • Between 2 waters on the game plan

It is not easy to talk about it. Gaby Reca, my former trainer, allowed me to learn a lot about the padel, especially on the defensive part of this sport. A necessary part, even more when one came like me from tennis. But this training also affected my game offensively. I had become much too tender. However, the padel today is more and more brutal. We can also see a clear evolution of padel in this sense in recent years.

So I changed everything, including the part that concerned my game on the padel. Today, I found percussion.

  • A year without the French championships padel

This year, no France team. It is only part postponed in 2021. That gives us time to sharpen our weapons with Léa to leave for the boarding of the French championships next year.

After that we have a strong team for the world of padel next November. With the reinforcement of Robin (editor's note. Robin Haziza), the French women's team is stronger. Robin is a good captain who has already proven himself at La Playa during the European Championships of padel in the Nederlands.

  • Be ready for recovery

With recent events and the global health crisis, the FFT was right not to tempt the devil by canceling the French championships of padel and the steps of FFT PADEL TOUR. It's a shame for us because we hoped to do great things. We will focus on the steps of World Padel Tour. As soon as things start to resume, we'll have to be physically ready, because we're not going to be unemployed.

To see or review the last 20 minutes of the interview, it's here:

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovers the padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since padel is part of his life. You often see him touring France going to cover the major events of padel French.

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