Padel, work and family: the busy daily life of Duchêne / Tonda

Last February, Padel Mag spoke with Alexise Duchêne and Charlyne Tonda. Passed in two years from the 100^e place in the top 14 of the French ranking, the pair then discussed their history with padel, their areas of progression and their future. Where is she currently, while Charlyne is at 10^e place in the national ranking and Alexise is close behind at 12^e rank? We wanted to know more about these two players with their contagious freshness, who manage to combine the demands of a high level with their professional and personal lives.

What is your assessment of the season?

Alexise: Answering this question is complicated because I never feel like our season is over (laughs) ! In fact, we play tournaments all year long, with deadlines all the time. Except for the summer when we take a break with Charlyne, we are always on the move… As a result, we rarely take stock, except when we have significant defeats. At those times, we stop, we look for what didn't work and we try to see what we could do to improve.

Charlyne: We still had some good results this year. At the P1500 in Bordeaux we beat Mélissa Martin and Amélie Detriviere in the quarter-finals. Last year, at a P2000, we beat Fiona Ligi and her Spanish partner… We know that we can hurt highly ranked pairs, even if at the national level the girls who are above us are very strong. When you know that we are playing without a coach, without a physical coach and without a mental trainer, I tell myself that it is not so bad.

Alexise: You also won a P1000 this year, Charlyne…

Charlyne: Exactly, with Jennifer Denecheau: an infidelity… Previously, I had asked Alexise for permission.

Alexise: Permission granted! (laughs)

Is working with a regular trainer one of your goals?

Alexise: For a while, we worked with Aurélien Rambaud, at Forest-Hill in Marnes-la-Coquette. But it had a cost and it was not always easy. Having a coach would still be ideal. Since September, we have been helped by Hugo Jean. He came on the weekend of October 19/20 to P2000 in Casa Padel, where we lose in 1/8^e final against Camille Sireix and Justine Pysson (6/3 5/7 6/1).

Charlyne: Having a regular coach would allow us to better see what can be improved in each of us. It would also allow us to move forward as a team, by making us work on sequences of play, shots, etc.

How have your gaming identities evolved, especially in recent months?

Alexise: I improved in defense… but I started from far behind (laughs) ! I must say that, coming from tennis, I have anchors. Developing them necessarily takes time.

Charlyne: For my part, I am a little more aggressive on the field. With Alexise, we have long deployed a fairly classic strategy: as a left-footed player that she is, it was up to her to finish the point. As for me, I tried to be as consistent as possible. For some time now, we have tried to improve on our weak points: Alexise in defense and me in attack…

Alexise: That's a relief! Charlyne can finish some points, while I slow down the game a bit more. Not all points are necessarily good to finish!

Charlyne: We did indeed have difficulties against certain pairs. Now, we let the balls pass, we adapt the zones. We have also evolved strategically, for example by playing deeper, by chaining with tiny… This is also what we work on with Hugo Jean. The fact that he is on the bench, alongside us, allows us to go beyond the encouragement we receive. At our level, the girls all have a coach who can tell them what is happening. We have never had that and I think it can unlock things for us. Hugo has a neutral position, it is very helpful and allows us to avoid any unnecessary stress!

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How do you balance your sporting, professional and family life?

Alexise: This can only be done with a lot of organization. First, you should know that Charlyne and I both have jobs: so we work five days a week. For my part, I have a partner who has children, whom we look after every other week. Then, there are the tournaments, the training, the deadlines... Our goal is to play one tournament per month on average, sometimes a little more.

Charlyne: It is true that managing complex schedules is not easy. In addition to training, professional obligations, our families, our partners, we try to work and progress. We play a lot of games in the form of free play, and sometimes a few mini-courses when we manage to fit them in. It can be a lot: it is not rare that the weekend arrives and we feel exhausted... That's when we have to go to a tournament!

Alexise: It's true that sometimes I feel tired. Every other week, life at home is quite full, with my partner's children at home. School, homework, dinners at set times... not to mention a few training sessions in the evening, with a late bedtime to boot. In fact, we work until 19pm, and then we can play padel, when we don't have the children!

What are your goals?

Alexise: The game and the fun….

Charlyne: Constantly improving! We still have a lot to learn. I like the idea that I am improving on myself. I have a goal in terms of level of play. The ranking is not an end in itself, even if being 10^e currently is very satisfactory.

Alexise: I agree. Charlyne and I really have a great time together. I was lucky enough to be asked to come to the French team training camp last May: it was great, but I felt guilty about going alone, without Charlyne. She was the one who encouraged me and supported me. The French team, the jersey, it's crazy stuff... But do we have the skills? The girls in front of us are very strong, with the first four untouchable. That's why we live for the passion of the game. Being together with Charlyne is great. We work in everyday life, we have fun playing and we want to be proud of ourselves after we've played.

Charlyne: It's true that when we enter the field, we give everything out of respect and friendship for each other. We are competitors, we don't give up, but our complicity plays a very positive role in the team's results, with very high demands.

Alexise: Our bond of friendship also allows us to put things into perspective. I remember a match for the 3^e place, at the P1500 in Toulon this year. We are trailing 6/2 2/1 and my level of play is catastrophic. I then say to Charlyne: "you know, there are 10 minutes left to play: it's going to be long!" Then, she bursts out laughing and tells me to just put the ball in the field. We ended up winning this match! This result is the result of a smile, a reaction that allowed me to put things into perspective, it clearly took the pressure off me. You know, for us sport remains something fun. We have a full professional life, and that's where the pressure is. Afterwards, we have the weekend and the tournaments: there, it's relaxation and fun! And it's all the better if we manage to get excellent results this way.

Do you have any messages to pass on?

Alexise: I would like to thank Steeve, my partner, once again. He is passionate about padel like me and it is thanks to him that I can indulge in my passion. I must also thank my sponsor, Wilson, because he is a valuable help for a player like me.

Charlyne: For my part, I would like to thank my friends, the whole little group of close friends who follow us all year round: Mélanie, Laura, Steeve… and of course Mathilde. At tournaments, we are not alone with Alexise, and when we win, we quickly go and hug those who support us. I think it is a beautiful image: sharing these moments with the people we love is simply great.

Frederic Theulé

Not a day goes by without a line… of padel court! For a few years now, Frédéric has decided to devote himself to his lifelong passion: the little yellow ball and its merciless world. Addict, did you say addict?