It's the second day of competition at Beautiful Plan IFJ Star, and the Mauritian number 1s, Mathieu Vallet et Amaury de Beer, booked their place in the second round after a victory on home soil. Playing in their club Isla Padel, they now prepare to face tough opponents for a place in the quarter-finals.

How do you feel after this first victory in a FIP tournament?

Matthew: Very happy to have passed this first round. It is a great experience to play in our club, Isla Padel in Beau Plan. The setup is great, and it's incredible to be able to evolve in such an environment.

Amaury: It's a real pride to play at home, on our island, in a tournament of this magnitude. We are really happy and motivated for the future.

The development of padel in Mauritius

Padel arrived in Mauritius about three years ago. When and how did you discover this sport?

Matthew: We started about three and a half years ago. At that time, there was a court in a hotel where we played once a week. Then, just before Covid, an indoor club opened. During the pandemic, we continued to play regularly.

Amaury: For the past two years, we have been training more seriously, two to three times a week. We decided to form a pair, and since then, we have won almost all the local tournaments.

Padel seems to be well structured in Mauritius. How does the competition work here? Are there many tournaments?

Matthew: In Mauritius, we have tournaments ranked like in France: M500, M250 and M100. The M500 are organized once a month. We also have an M1000 tournament every year, but for the moment, there are no more scheduled.

Amaury: We have already participated in tournaments outside Mauritius, such as the Island Cup in Madagascar, which we won. We would also like to play in Reunion, but the lack of a French ranking makes things complicated.

International ambitions and obstacles

You mentioned that the French ranking is problematic. Can you tell us more about it?

Matthew: Without a French ranking, we cannot directly integrate the tables of P500 or P1000 tournaments in Reunion, for example. We would need an assimilation or FIP points to help us get through this stage.

Amaury: The FIP points we will get here could open doors for us. We have already met players from Reunion Island during the FIP Star, and this could facilitate invitations or collaborations in the future.

Are you planning to go to France to participate in tournaments?

Matthew: It's an idea. We could do a two-week stay in France to play five or six tournaments. This would allow us to create a mini-ranking and perhaps unlock opportunities.

Amaury: We also hope that officials, like Stéphane Berrafato of the French Federation, can help us with assimilation. Otherwise, we will have to rely on wild cards.

Looking back at the M1000 and looking ahead

You lost in the M1000 final last week against a pair from Reunion Island. What are your feelings about this tournament?

Matthew: It was a very intense tournament. M1000s are rare here – only once a year for now. Maybe in the future we can organize more, especially if the Reunion Islanders, the Malagasy or even South Africans come to participate.

Amaury: In the final, our opponents from Reunion were very solid. We had opportunities up to 3-3, but we lacked experience in key moments. This motivates us even more to progress and take our revenge.

A big challenge in the second round

Your next match is against Thomas Leygue and Ignacio Piotto, ranked 89th and 95th in the world. How are you approaching this encounter?

Matthew: No pressure! This kind of match is a unique opportunity to measure ourselves against players of this level. The pace will certainly be higher, but we are ready to give it our all.

Amaury: We're going to try to let loose and play our best padel. Unlike this morning, where we were a little tense, we really want to take advantage of this opportunity.

A final word before this great challenge?

Matthew: Thank you to everyone who supports us. Playing in our club, in front of our public, is an incredible experience. We hope to continue to proudly represent Mauritius.

Amaury: Thank you for the interview. We will give it our all and, whatever happens, we will come out of this experience stronger.

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.

On the same subject

Tags