Paris Major: Blanqué / Joris or Guy de Chamisso / Pascoal, which choice for the FFT? Padel Magazine

Approaching the Paris Major , the distribution of male wild cards poses a real question: How far does the FFT intend to push its policy in favor of youth and the future of French padel?

Because once certain cases are deemed priorities, a final invitation could lead to a particularly interesting arbitration. On the one hand, Bastien Blanqué / Maxime Joris A 100% French pairing blending experience and the future. On the other hand, Olivier Guy de Chamisso / Vasco Pascoal , with one of the young French players who has progressed the most this season, but partnered with a 37-year-old Portuguese player.

And according to the criteria adopted by the Federation, the arguments are not quite the same.

Due to an error by FIP, please note that Olivier Guy de Chamisso is indeed playing with Manuel Vives. Yanis Muesser is playing with Arthur Hugounenq. The update can be found here. HERE]. .

Boronad/Robert and Fonteny/Moragues seem to have a head start

Before getting to this possible duel, we need to look at the overall situation.

On the Paris Major list finalized on August 25th, Timéo Fonteny / Nacho Moragues occupant la 11th place on the waiting list , While Yoan Boronad / Jérémy Robert are 20es .

The folder Boronad / Robert This seems particularly difficult to circumvent if the FFT wishes to continue investing in its best young players. The two players form a 100% French pair , come from this new generation supported by the Federation and are already better placed on the list than several other French candidates.

Fonteny, meanwhile, is partnered with Spaniard Nacho Moragues, but their 11th position puts them much closer to a natural entry into the qualifiers.

Depending on the distribution between invitations for the main draw and for the qualifiers, these two issues therefore seem to occupy an important place in the equation.

What if the last place came down to Blanqué / Joris and Guy de Chamisso / Pascoal?

That's when the choices could become much more difficult.

Bastien Blanqué / Maxime Joris are 21st on the waiting list. Vasco Pascoal / Olivier Guy de Chamisso are 25th. Between the two lies, in particular Manuel Vives / Matteo Rosingana 24st.

If other invitations are already directed towards Boronad, Robert or Fonteny, the debate could then narrow down to two philosophies: reward an already solid and competitive French pair, or push the card of very young talent even further with Guy de Chamisso.

Blanqué / Joris: experience, French national team… and future

Reduce Blanqué / Joris It would be a mistake to rely on a candidacy of experienced players.

Certainly, Bastien Blanqué is over thirty However, he remains one of the pillars of French padel and the French national team. His experience in major international competitions is undoubtedly an asset in a tournament like the Paris Major.

But by his side, Maxime Joris is only 25 years old .

He didn't go through a federal training program comparable to that of the young players now integrated into the CNE, mainly because this structure is recent. Does this mean he belongs less to the future of French padel?

The question needs to be asked.

At 25, Joris still has significant room for improvement and has already established himself among the French players capable of competing on the international circuit. Betting on Joris can therefore also be considered betting on the future simply by a different path than that of the players from the new federal system.

And their application has another obvious advantage: Blanqué and Joris are both French.

Guy de Chamisso, the map of the very young

Facing them, the case Olivier Guy de Chamisso perhaps represents the most direct expression of the new federal policy.

Only at 17 years The Frenchman has exploded onto the scene this season. Having gone through the CNE Having been a French champion several times in the youth categories, he has above all made a significant leap forward on the international circuit.

In May, he notably won his First FIP title in Marnes-la-Coquette with Jérémy Robert at only 17 years old. A result that is no longer simply a promise: Guy de Chamisso has already shown that he is capable of winning on the international circuit.

In this respect, it ticks almost all the boxes of a policy geared towards training and the long term.

But his case has two handicaps compared to Blanqué / Joris.

The first is mathematical: Pascoal / Guy de Chamisso are 25th on the waiting list against a 21st place for Joris / Blanqué.

The second concerns his partner.

Vasco Pascoal, 37 years old and Portuguese: a detail that can matter

Guy de Chamisso registered with Vasco Pascoal At 37, the Portuguese player has a wealth of experience and has played in various professional circuits throughout his career.

From a sporting perspective, playing with a player of this experience can obviously be beneficial for a 17-year-old Frenchman.

But from the point of view of a Wild card awarded by the FFT for its Major The question is different.

An invitation rewards a pair. By giving a wild card to Guy de Chamisso/Pascoal, the Federation would therefore also be offering a place to a 37-year-old Portuguese player, while simultaneously having another candidate Blanqué / Joris 100% French .

And in a decision that could hinge on details, that definitely matters.

Blanqué / Joris – Guy de Chamisso / Pascoal: the arguments

Criterion	Blanqué / Joris	Guy de Chamisso / Pascoal
Position on the waiting list	Advantage: 21st	25es
100% French pair	Yes	No
Very young	Joris: 25 years old	Guy de Chamisso: 17 years old
Experience	Strong with Blanqué	Strong with Pascoal
French team	Blanqué, a key player for the French national team Joris, member	Guy de Chamisso, a project for the future
Federal curriculum / CNE	No, not for Joris.	Yes for Guy de Chamisso
Significant FIP result in 2026	International experience of the pair	First FIP title for Guy de Chamisso in Marnes
Long-term projection	Yes, with Joris, 25 years old	Very strong with Guy de Chamisso, 17 years old

This table mainly shows that there is no completely obvious choice.

What is the definition of "the future of French padel"?

Ultimately, that's the central question.

If absolute priority is given to very young players identified and supported in the federal project Guy de Chamisso has an extremely strong case. At 17, a member of the CNE and already a winner of a FIP tournament, he represents exactly the type of profile that the FFT is looking to develop.

But if the Federation broadens its definition of the future of French padel, Maxime Joris, at only 25 years old, is also fully part of it With the addition of Bastien Blanqué, a key player for the French national team, a better position on the waiting list, and an all-French pairing, Blanqué/Joris have accumulated several important arguments .

Therefore, depending of course on the other invitations distributed, The real battle for a possible final wild card could be between these two pairs. .

And the choice would be particularly revealing.

Blanqué / Joris This would mean favouring a 100% French pair, better placed in terms of sporting performance, combining a key player from Les Bleus with a 25-year-old player who can still represent the French team for several more years.

Guy de Chamisso / Pascoal This would push youth policy even further, considering that the potential of a 17-year-old Frenchman is enough to justify an invitation, even with a foreign partner and despite a less favorable position on the waiting list.

I will conclude with a rather editorial statement, which acknowledges your analysis while clearly separating the facts from your opinion:

Another option: leave all pairs untouched.

One thing seems certain: There will be some disappointed people. Unless the FFT makes a different choice: leaving the two pairs including a Frenchman already present in the qualifiers, Dylan Guichard / Clement Geens et Thomas Leygue / Jesús Moya , follow their progress without awarding them a wild card for the main draw. The current list places them respectively at 4th and 8th places in qualifying .

Traditionally, however, the FFT has tended to seek out certain French players already present in the qualifying rounds to offer them a wild card in the main draw A strategy that secures the presence of its best representatives, but which mechanically reduces the number of places available to bring in new French pairs in the Paris Major.

In our view, another strategy could be advocated this time: do not touch the French players already qualified for the pre-tournaments and use the invitations to broaden the tricolor representation.

The case Guichard / Geens is particularly telling. The Franco-Belgian pair is already seed 4 in qualifying On paper, they are therefore in a favorable position to qualify for the main draw through sporting merit. Qualification earned on the field would also allow them to fully benefit from the sporting rewards, including bonus points.

This would primarily allow the FFT to use its wild cards to open the door to other French players. And, in that scenario, the battle between Blanqué/Joris and Guy de Chamisso/Pascoal would take on even more meaning .

It remains to be seen which philosophy the Federation will choose: Should we secure our best-placed French players by directly moving them into the main draw, or take advantage of wild cards to give more French players a chance?

Perhaps that's it, finally the real choice of sports policy behind these invitations.

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.