We told you about it a few days ago, the first tournament of padel official armchair took place on February 17th. The six pairs met in Nice to play this first tournament. Although the majority of the players were from the Côte d'Azur, some made the trip from further afield. This is particularly the case of Sébastien Hussert-Walter who came from Alsace. 

The tournament took place in two pools of three teams. Once the pool matches were over, the first of the two pools faced each other, the second and the third too. The matches were played with the “Punto de Oro” and super tie-break in the third set.

In terms of results, it was Laurent Giammartini (ex world No. 1 in wheelchair tennis) and Jean Marc Keghlian who won. Sebastien Hussert-Walter emphasizes: “There were very close matches, which were played in a super tie-break, it was very competitive. I think the level between the first three teams was relatively close. » 

A mode of operation modeled on Spain

Sebastien Hussert-Walter explains: “For this first edition, we registered individually, without knowing our partner. The organizer had chosen to draw lots for the composition of the pairs upon the arrival of the players. The idea was to try to stick to what is done in Spain, that is to say to take into account the handicap to balance the debates. In Spain, there is a disability assessment. If I take my example, I don't have my abs so I don't have leg support, I'll be worth a minimum of points. On the other hand, someone who is amputated or who has his abdominal strap has more muscular possibilities and will therefore be worth more points. 

Thus, in Spain, a pair must not exceed a certain point total. Here, we tried to do the same by separating the players into two distinct hats. The Spaniards go even further since a player who wants to play the circuit there must first be classified by a specialized doctor. »

An event brought to light

The sporting event received superb media exposure. Indeed, France 3 Côte d'Azur went to the Combes tennis club to make a report on this event. Sebastien pointed out: “It's great because we had visibility, there are people who came. For a first tournament, we are super happy to have so much dynamism around this event.”

This first tournament even went back to Didier Deschamps who addressed a message of support to all players.

thomas jay

After being rocked by tennis for nearly 15 years, I became an absolute fan of its cousin, the padel. For nearly a year now, I've been chasing the little yellow ball with another racquet, but with just as much passion! Based in Lyon, I intend to make you better acquainted with the padel in the region and at the national level.

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