Pablo Ayma: “Focus on youth”

Pablo Ayma has been reappointed as head of the French men's team. The Spanish technician comes back with us on various current topics.

The retirements of Tison and Scatena

In terms of leadership, the absences of Ben and Jeremy, who have always been excellent players and great leaders, will be greatly felt in the team. They will be difficult to replace, not only on the field but also off it. We will undoubtedly miss them.

But on the other hand, it opens the door for new players to fill these two places, and I have no doubt that it will be a big challenge for everyone to form this new team. The highest ranked players and those with the most experience will have to take the lead.

The team is made up of eight players. We are following up to choose sixteen and we will organize a training course to select the team that will represent us at the European Championship and the World Cup.

Focus on young people

We have a large breeding ground for young players in France. We follow all their progress and our intention is to focus on youth. We know that the team will have to be renewed in a few years. Here are some of the youngest players with a big future: Guichard, Vives, Joris, Vincent, Raichman, Courrin, Muesser, Hugounenq, Wagner, Le Saux, Fonteny, Boronad…

The current level of padel French is growing. There is no longer as much of a gap between the top and bottom ranked players. Spain and Argentina have some extraordinary players, but in recent years several countries have invested heavily in padel, and we are seeing more and more very competitive players. This is why investing in young players is very important to succeed in the years to come.

A third place still achievable at the Worlds?

As for third place, in the last World Cup I still think Brazil had a great team and were the big favorites for third place, but Portugal beat Brazil and we beat Portugal...

This year, several countries will present very strong teams, so we must do very well to come back with a bronze medal. It will be an extra challenge without Ben and Jeremy, but we will do everything we can to fight and fight for a third place.

Benjamin Tison's decision

The decision to stop competing was certainly very difficult to make because he was playing at a very high level. On the one hand, France loses the best player in its history, but on the other it gains a lot by having Ben in a position as important as the one he occupies today. I am sure that in this new role he will also contribute a lot to the future of the padel in France.

The return of Johan Bergeron

Johan called me to tell me that he wanted to come back and that he was going to work hard to be up to standard. He undoubtedly has talent, experience and a good level, but nowadays you have to be very strong physically and mentally. He therefore has a significant challenge to overcome to prove that he deserves his place in the team.

An internship in France or Barcelona?

This year, the objective is to find a club in France to organize the course. Last time we chose Barcelona because several players lived there and others were geographically close. In addition, Barcelona is a very well served city, but this time we want to do it in France.

Xan Tafernaberry

Xan is a fan of padel. But also rugby! And his posts are just as punchy. Physical trainer of several padel, he unearths atypical posts or deals with topical subjects. It also gives you some tips to develop your physique for the padel. Clearly, he imposes his offensive style as on the field of padel !