Pablo Ayma, the coach of the France team, returned to the "complicated choice" he had to make to select the 4 men's players for the European Games which will take place in Poland. Remember that this is a first for the padel.
Since the start of the season, Bastien Blanqué has not been at 100%. I had a conversation with him, I know he respects my choice even if he is disappointed. He obviously has my confidence, he has proven that he is one of the very best French players. But for now he has to regain confidence, regain his padel and above all win matches. He's young and smart, I'm sure he'll be able to bounce back.
Bastien is a superb player, I hope he will be able to return to his best level because we need him for the European Championships. He has the mind for that and the experience, he has the future ahead of him.
Jérémy Scatena is a player who plays a lot on the international circuit. It remains very competitive. He is a pure left player who has a good FIP ranking.
I spoke with all the players of the extended French team. I can understand that there is disappointment for Bastien Blanqué, but also for Max Moreau and others… Who wouldn't be disappointed? Unfortunately, I can only take 4 players. There is great competition in this France team.
For information, Bastien Blanqué and Dylan Guichard are the third pair to date. If tomorrow there is a problem with a pair in Team France, it will be replaced by pair 3.
However, I would like to point out that there is currently a vagueness around this subject: we do not yet know if it is the pair that is replaced in the event of a player's failure, or just the player injured by a other.
To conclude, I would like to insist once again on the great difficulty of making an obvious choice because the competition is very great among men. Apart from Benjamin Tison, the players are almost equal. This is why I understand that there is disappointment among some.
At one point, a choice had to be made and I therefore based myself mainly on three elements:
I will be part of the adventure in Poland with Robin Haziza and we will see what the two mixed pairs will be. For now, have not yet fully decided with Robin. My choice will also depend on his choice and vice versa.
We must present two mixed pairs to the FFT which it must validate during the week.