Manu Vives has experienced it all: from difficult defeats to the victory in London. The World Cup, more than ever a goal…

A few days after his resounding victory at the FIP Rise in London alongside his partner Eneko Arija Ochoa de Alda, Manuel Vives comes back for Padel Magazine on this tournament, but also on his personal journey, his challenges, the French team and his progress on the professional padel circuit.

A partner who put me on a very good dynamic

“This week has been really special. Right from the start, we felt that the draw was quite favourable. I started playing with a young 19-year-old Spaniard, Eneko, who was a junior world team champion with Spain. He is a very talented player, from my academy, and honestly, it motivated me a lot to play with him. He has huge potential and it made me want to follow his pace.”

“The start of the tournament was relatively easy. We negotiated the first two rounds well without too much difficulty. Then, in the quarter-finals, we faced Philémon (Raichman) and Dorian (de Meyer). I think they were not in their best shape. We, on our side, played a very good match and won quite easily.”

Conditions that favored us

“The playing conditions in London were quite special, and they worked in our favour. It was an environment where the balls came out a lot, which suits our style of play well. My partner, Eneko, in addition to playing well, hits extremely hard for a right-hander, which made it very difficult for our opponents to lob us. In fact, we weren't broken until the second set of the final, which shows how solid we were.”

Facing Moreau / Seurin: there was tension and stakes

“In the semi-finals, we played Max Moreau and Julien Seurin, and it was an important match. There was a lot at stake, and I think we were all pretty nervous. Max and I, in particular, were tense, because we know each other well and we have a lot of respect for each other. Julien, who I have played many tournaments with, is also one of my best friends. So there was some pressure.”

“Despite that, we managed to manage our match well. We broke with a bit of luck in the first set, then we were more solid in the second. We won 6-3, 6-3. It was a relief, but we already had to think about the final.”

FIP Rise London – Man Vives and Eneko Arija reach the final

An intense final against formidable opponents

“In the final we faced Antonio Fernandez aka “Pincho” (44) and Jose Jimenez Casas (67), very highly ranked players, among the best I have had the opportunity to meet. It was a real challenge for us.”

“The first set was very tight. They were clearly dominating us, but we managed to hold on and save several break points. We finally took the set 7-6 after a well-managed tie-break. They were dominating in this first set, but we managed to seize our chance.”

“The second set was totally different. They gained confidence and completely dominated us, especially me. They worked me both in attack and defense, and I couldn't do anything. They won the set 6-0, and there was nothing to say, they were just stronger.”

The third set is a deliverance

“In the third set, we were saved a bit by the new balls, which allowed us to remotivate ourselves. We saved break points and managed to convert one on decisive points, including some big blocks from me. I take a lot of risks on these blocks. It's a difficult shot to make. And I think they were destabilized at times with these blocks. We managed to keep the break and win this incredible final.”

“It was a crazy win. If I have to take away something from this match, it’s how satisfied I am with my progress in recent months. I’ve felt like my level of play has been rising for the last two or three months, and this win is proof of that.”

Steady progress for several months

“For a few months now, I really feel like my game is improving. I've received a lot of messages of encouragement, and I thank everyone for that. I've been playing really well for two or three months now, especially since I started again with Julien. We had some very close matches against players like Cremona…, where it didn't always go through, but I felt like my level was improving.”

“We had a great final in Egypt, won a tournament in Japan, and then here in London, this victory. It shows that my game is improving. In particular, I feel that I have reached a milestone in attack in recent weeks, especially on my volleys and smashes. I am becoming more and more efficient in this area. On the other hand, in defense, there is still work to be done. In training, things are starting to get better, but in matches, I still have bad feelings, as was the case in London until the final.”

The next objectives

“I put this victory into perspective by knowing that the playing conditions helped us a lot. That said, it's an exceptional performance and a real confidence boost. But I prefer to remember my overall progress over the last two or three months.”

“For the future, there are several important objectives. First, there are Roland Garros, but I don't know yet who I'm going to play with. I'll have to see how the wildcard issue goes. Then there's the issue of theFrance team. I think I am very much in the discussion to be part of the team at World Championships, even if it doesn't depend only on me.”

“In terms of ranking, my main goal for this year is to have enough points to enter the tournaments of Premier Padel next year, especially the P1s. With recent results, I think I can get close to that by the end of the season, but there is still time.”

The outlook for the French team

“I am confident about my chances of joining the French team. As at the European Championships, I know that the competition is strong, especially on the left, where there are a lot of players in the running. There are also other guys who play very well, like Timéo Fonteni who is also a serious candidate.”

“I'm not playing just to get into the French team, but if I continue to play well and get results, it will naturally come as a reward. It's clearly one of the goals for the year.”

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.