The selection of the French team of padel 2017 was validated yesterday by the COMEX of the French Tennis Federation. A selection in our balanced and measured sense of Patrick Fouquet and the French Tennis Federation even if inevitably there are disappointments.

List of selected ladies

  • Alix Collombon and Jessica Ginier
  • Audrey Casanova and Laura Clergue
  • Marianne Vandaele and Léa Godalier
  • Elodie Damiano and Mai Vo

Captain: Patrick Fouquet

The coach and his team took a risk: Select Léa Godalier. A player who was not part of these championships in France but who plays most often with Marianne Vandaele. This is for us a good choice. Léa Godalier is one of the best players on the right in France. Powerful and effective at the net, the pair Vandaele / Godalier will be an asset in Lisbon.

Among the ladies, we will observe the absence of Geraldine Sorel, several times vice-champions of France of padel. His partner Sandy Godard had to forfeit following a major injury before the French Championships in padel. We obviously think of Kristina Clément and Virginie Pironneau who had nevertheless performed well in recent weeks. Line Meites and Laurent Berard necessarily pay the bad result of the French championships of padel.

But no surprise in this selection and we end up with an armed ladies team to do beautiful things in Lisbon.

List of selected gentlemen

  • Bastien Blanque and Johan Bergeron
  • Jérémy Scatena and Jérémy Ritz
  • Robin Haziza and Maxime Moreau
  • Jérôme Ferrandez and Loïc Lepanse

Captain: Alexis Salles

The job of coach is certainly the worst job and sometimes you have to make choices. But, the absence of Cédric Carité in the French team of padel is probably the big surprise of these selections.

Associated with Loïc Le Panse this year and finished 3rd at the French championships of padel after coming out of the famous hen of death, he was one of the big contenders with his partner Loïc Le Panse in the selection for Europe next November. His track record and his experience spoke for him as well.

Remember: During the European Championships of padel 2015 in the Netherlands, France became European champion in large part thanks to the Salles / Carité pair. Cédric Carité was one of the great architects of this final victory.

It is his partner, Loïc Le Panse, who speaks about it best: “I am surprised by the non-selection of Cédric which I find quite unfair but we wanted to rejuvenate the selection. Cédric is no stranger to my success in this selection. I am obviously very happy for all the selected players that I appreciate. But it's a real shame not to be able to continue our adventure in Lisbon because we had achieved great things together and a 3rd place at these French championships of padel 2017".

Jérôme Ferrandez is one of the best right-wing players in France and will be associated with Loïc Le Panse. It will be a first association for these two players. We will see Loïc certainly take the left side and Jerome his faithful post on the right. On paper, a nice pair with two very aggressive players.

Maxime Moreau was very hot for this selection because we can not say that his last games were the most encouraging with his partner (and formerly Justin Lopes), even if there are extenuating circumstances for the pair. It is likely that Maxime Moreau will be associated next year with Robin Haziza. This is probably a challenge of the coach who believes that the association Haziza / Moreau could be one of the best French pairs. Lisbon is a good introduction to show the coach that he was not wrong in selecting and associating them.

Note that Robin Haziza, the French player several times champions of France and training in Spain, is logically integrated into the France team despite his non participation in the French championships of padel 2017.

Of course, the team remains very competitive with a leading team: Bergeron / Blanqué. Patrick Fouquet, do not forbid anything and we could " even possibly see a pair reformed for the occasion among the 8 if we have to try to make a move "...

In conclusion, Patrick Fouquet explains that "the selection for both ladies and gentlemen was particularly difficult and even emotionally because I know them all but there are only 8 places. The objective is to build a team of ladies and gentlemen because these European championships of padel is a step before the World Championships of padel next year"

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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