On the occasion of  Paris Major 2025  at Roland-Garros, the coach of the French men's team,  Pablo Ayma , agreed to return in detail to the performances of the French players, the question of  wild cards , the future of  Dylan Guichard , the injuries of  Thomas Leygue  et  Thomas Vanbauce , the future list for  the European Championships , as well as his take on the tournament favorites and players like  Juan Lebrón . Complete maintenance, without filter.

“Manu Vives is almost completely recovered”

"It's a bit sad because the French are already eliminated for today, there weren't many in qualifying. But I'm happy for  Manu Vives , who was returning from a  major shoulder injury He was with us at the Perpignan training camp, and he told me he was slowly recovering. Honestly, it was hard to believe he could come back with pace after so much time out. And today, he showed a  fairly high level . He still lacks rhythm, that's obvious, but I found it  solid , able to hit the ball hard. The track was slow, it's true, but I saw him almost  100% recovered  »

A slow track that encourages built-up play

"The track was  spring . Maxime [Joris] has a  huge smash , which is rare for a right-hand player, but today it was not a track for smashing. You had to play  vipers , build, work the point. On this type of court, it's the one who really plays padel who ends up winning. The opponents showed a lot of solidity. We missed an opportunity in the first set, they grew up and showed that  small superiority  which allowed them to win the first, then the second with a little more margin."

“The raw material is there”

"I don't think it's a match to forget. On the contrary: there were  very intense points . We saw that  Maxime and Manu  are very fast, able to close spaces quickly. This is the  youth, power, agility . What is missing is the  rythme  : when you don't play many matches at this level, it shows. Not so much in the game itself, which was good, but in the  details,  : three missed returns, three lobs too short, errors that are unforgiving at this level. This only comes through experience and repetition. But the  raw material is there "Now we have to train more, with higher intensity, and reduce the mistakes. For mobility, court coverage and shots, I think they have the level."

Pablo Ayma Franck Binisti Paris Major

The case  Dylan Guichard 

"Many people ask why Dylan isn't here. The rule is simple: there is  four wild cards  (one for the qualifications, three for the final draw). They must be given to the best French players, taking into account their level, their ranking, their experience (World Championships, selections, etc.). Dylan is obviously one of the best and he was in the group of pre-selected players.

"Then you have to choose who stays and who goes. Dylan chose to play with an Italian. If we had accepted him, we would have had to  remove a place from a 100% French pair The decision was to favor French pairs. This has already been done in the past, to have a Frenchman with a foreigner, but today the players present have the level to defend their place. If Dylan had played with a Frenchman, he would obviously have been there.

"For the future, the message is clear: if you want a  wild card at the Paris Major , you have to play with a  French . Unless you have a long-term project with a foreigner, built over two years and with solid results, this is not an option. In Dylan's case, the project is good but  too recent . There is no history to prove his solidity. This does not mean that he is not at the level, but the policy is to  give priority to French pairs  »

"Dylan has practically a guaranteed spot"

“I spoke with Dylan recently. I remember a training camp three years ago: I didn't select him, and I chose Adrien instead. I told him he had an incredible future, and that if he continued, he would be at the next World Cup. That's what happened. Today, I can say that he practically has a guaranteed place in the national team. I can't make it official until the end of the French team's run at Roland Garros, but he is definitely in the squad.”

The wound of  Thomas Leygue 

“The real disappointment is  Thomas Leygue . He got injured a few months ago, when he was playing his  best padel I was in Buenos Aires, I coached him against Lamperti and Rubini: he won by playing at a very high level. And in the next tournament, against the Deus brothers, he got injured while leading. It's really unfortunate. This season, he could play both on the left and the right, which is a huge asset for a team. He is versatile, he can adapt and strengthen the team depending on the opponents. I wish him a good recovery, because he is very important for France.

Other names for the team

"There are also injured players like  Thomas Vanbauce , who was unable to participate in the training camp. And still solid players, like  Adrien Maigret , an incredible competitor. The list is not yet defined: there is one group, and only eight will remain. It is not easy.

"My idea is to give the list before  the French Championships , but I continue to follow the players in FIP and in French tournaments. Sometimes, a player shines, then collapses. We must wait as long as possible to make the fairest decision.

Tournament favorites

“Padel today is very open. There are a lot of young players like  Andrea Ustero ,  Claudia Fernández  ou  Martina Calvo , who are making enormous progress and have an incredible future. In the men's category, there are three pairs fighting for the world number one spot:  Coello / Tapia ,  Galan / Chingotto  et  Lebron / Stupa This makes the circuit exciting because no one can say in advance who will be in the final.

"For me, with the conditions in Paris, I see a final  Galan / Chingotto  salary.  Coello / Tapia  »

The most decisive smash of the moment

"If you ask me who has the most decisive smash today, I would say  Leo Augsburg We saw it in Madrid: he hits everywhere.

Emotional management of pairs

“A pair that knows  control your emotions  has a better chance of winning. With players of character like  Lebrón  ou  Paquito Navarro , you take the package: they intimidate, they win a lot of matches, but it can also cost them. Today, we have to work on the  mental  pairs as much as tactics. The support of a  sports psychologist  can be decisive."

What if Pablo Ayma coached Juan Lebrón?

"All coaches want to train the best. But it has to be a coherent project. I have my conditions, my values. If it fits, yes. But if a player asks me to be full-time when I don't have the time (I have my academy and the national team), it would be impossible."

"With any top player, you have to sit down, talk, see the project, the training location, the schedule. It's never easy to say no, but it has to work for both parties."

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.

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