Pablo Ayma: The coach of the French men's team takes stock of the French Championships and the next international events.

The 2024 French Padel Championships were marked by great performances and a constantly improving level of play. Two months before the World Championships in Qatar, Pablo Ayma, coach of the French men's team, spoke about the lessons he learned from this competition and the prospects for the French team. Between the rise of young talents and preparation for the future, Ayma gives us an exclusive preview of the future choices that could be decisive for the French team.

French championships crucial for the World Cup

Franck Binisti
What conclusions do you draw from these French Championships 2024 ?

Pablo Ayma
I watched all the games, and I am impressed and very happy with the a level. I've seen pairs that weren't bad before, but didn't seem as well-prepared or serious as they do now.
I have seen players who really play very well, and the level is constantly increasing. The strongest pairs now have to work hard from the quarter-finals, or even from the first rounds, to win.

Franck Binisti
Are these three days very important for the worldwide in November ?

Pablo Ayma
Yes it's crucial. Time flies by. After the Europe In Sardinia, where we had a very good tournament, we still need more players. We are doing trials, but I think that in this phase of the France championship, we can already clearly see who the candidates for next World Championships in November.

Franck Binisti
Can we already say that the French team is going to change?

Pablo Ayma
We discuss it a lot with Ben. Our idea is to prepare a team not only for this year, but also for the future. We seek to bring together the experience of vétérans with the promising youthThis will allow us, I hope, not only this year, but also for the years to come, to have a very strong team. forte.

Selection for the 2024 World Championships: Pablo Ayma takes stock of the forces present

We can't rely on one match alone

Franck Binisti
Can you give me some new names who could join the French team in November?

Pablo Ayma
We saw some players who did really well, like Timeo Fonteny et Yoan Boronad, who have carried out a excellent match.
Pierre-Vincent et Arthur Hugounenq are also worth watching closely. I saw them play last year, and they have taken another step forward. A surprise for me: the left-handed Nathan Courrin.

Franck Binisti
Could Nathan be part of the French team this year?

Pablo Ayma
No, I don't think that's possible. The important thing is to follow theevolution players. This year, we have already seen that Max Joris exploded. We must not close any doors, but there is only eight places, so we can't include everyone, even if we analyze all the players.

Franck Binisti
I'm talking mostly about this year because the next event is in two months, we don't have time to think about next year. That's why I'm asking you if you can give me two or three new players who could reach the top in France. For example, if I tell you Max Forcin ?

Pablo Ayma
We don't talk much about this player, but I told Dylan during the tournament: you play very well together, you are comfortable, you have an excellent tournament. I think that Max Forcin has a lot of potential. He has experience.
Dylan was already on the team for the European Championships and obviously has its chances for the worldwide.

If you want another name, I'm thinking of Timeo, a young player with a great potential. There are other names, but I don't want to give you ten names, because we only have two months left to put the team together.

Franck Binisti
Who shone and who had more difficulties these three days?

Pablo Ayma
Le France championship is very difficult because of the pressure. I followed players that I really like, like Manu Vives, who has achieved incredible performances on the FIP circuit, but this was not his tournament here.
You can't eliminate a player because of a tournament, but of course, this tournament brings us a lot ofinformations, just like what the players are showing outside of this championship. We need to sit down with Ben to decide who will be in the team for the worldwide.

Franck Binisti
Manu Vives had an incredible tournament during the London FIP. Is he a player who can join the French team this year for the World Championships?

Pablo Ayma
There are some names in a list. But some places are already practically assigned, and there are very few opportunities left. So it would be premature to give names now. All the players have been analyzed.

Selection for the 2024 World Championships: Pablo Ayma takes stock of the forces present

A weaker French team but with great potential

Franck Binisti
And the goal for these worldwide ?

Pablo Ayma
The ideal would be to keep the third place. When we picked up the bronze, Ben Tison played spectacularly, and Jérémy Scatena was also at a very good level. We now have a new team.
Fortunately we have Thomas Leygue et Bastien Blanqué, the two pillars of the French team.

Franck Binisti
New, but better or not?

Pablo Ayma
To the future.

Franck Binisti
So for you, you're building a team for the future, but for now, it's maybe a little less strong team than the one from Ben Tison et Jérémy Scatena ?

Pablo Ayma
Yes, from experience and in terms of ranking or performance in tournaments like Premier Padel or, at the time, the World Padel Tour. But it is a team that has a great potential. This year we don't know yet, but I'm sure that if we give these new players a chance, we will have a very good team for the years to come.

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.

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