The adventure of the bronze medalists told from the inside with Cap'tain Haziza

The French women's team returns from the 2024 European Padel Championships with bronze. A magnificent adventure that its captain tells us about, Robin Haziza.

The medal, strong considering the scenario

The medal is something quite incredible, quite strong given the overall scenario. Obviously, the pool of death at first, the defeat so hard to swallow against Italy when we were outsiders and came so close to winning a silver medal. It was very complicated to re-mobilize, then to aim for third place against the Portugal team who we had already beaten in a group. We knew she was very dangerous. Playing the same team twice in the same competition is never easy, and Portugal gave us a tough time with a pretty incredible decider. A huge congratulations to Lucie and Léa who played an exceptional match to escape the Portuguese trap.

European Women's Team France Padel Championships 2024 - Sardegna — FIP European Padel Championships 2024

The only thing: this disappointment against Italy

There was a very good level of play in this last match, we really showed courage. From a general point of view of the week, there are honestly only positives. The only negative would possibly be losing to Italy, but again, that's more of a disappointment than a negative thing.

The return of Jessica Ginier: it feels good!

Everything has been super positive since day 1 and the first training sessions, with a mindset focused on performance and competition. The return of Jessica Ginier to the French team obviously has a lot to do with it too. She has been missing for the last few years, so it was important to be able to find her with her conquering mindset.

Jessica Ginier European Padel Championships 2024 - Sardegna

She really brought good energy to the group. And then also, with Ben Tison, we set up the election of a captain within the teams. With us, it was Léa Godallier who was elected captain and who was an essential relay for me and for the girls, to eliminate small frictions when there were any, to heal the spirits a little, and to be kind to those who were not playing.

Never easy to have a transparent dialogue

When there is only the coach with his group, it is never easy to have a transparent dialogue. Having Léa as a relay erased a lot of little problems, which meant that the group lived very well. Everyone was focused on the same goal, namely winning or losing together, but always putting the collective interest before individual interest.

Léa Godallier European Padel Championships 2024 - Sardegna

The really good things include the integration of Carla and Camille into the team. They made their first appearance and left with the medal around their neck. They brought a lot of freshness, enthusiasm, and courage. Camille had an incredible match against the Netherlands, and Carla fought from the first to the last point in all her matches. It also instilled something very positive into the team.

Alix and Léa set an example with an incredible match against Italy. Léa managed to adapt by playing both on the right and on the left. The idea was to be able to field different compositions thanks to a very homogenous team, so that all the girls felt invested in the competition. I believe it worked.

Lucile Pothier, MVP of the match against Portugal

A special mention to Lucile who had difficulty accepting not playing certain matches. When I asked her again, she responded by playing a great match against Italy and winning the bronze medal against Portugal. In my opinion, she was the best player of the four on the field.

It means a lot, and the management has been important. Fiona was our MVP throughout the week, awesome from start to finish. On the tactical diagrams, we played in extreme conditions of intense heat and wind. It was complicated. It required patience, daring, and courage, adapting to each team.

Lucile Pothier European Padel Championships 2024 - smash — FIP European Padel Championships 2024

When you play against a left-hander or a right-hander, it's not the same. The players had to adapt to all kinds of conditions and they did it very well. I am very satisfied with that aspect and to know that my message has been sent, both on the bench and off the pitch.

Tison, for the first time, not as a player

A special mention to Benjamin Tison who was of great help. For the first time, he was not there as a player but as a top-level manager. He provided his support, his dialogue, and relieved a lot of tension, making my work easier. It was a real team effort.

This France team is the strongest we have had

As for the French team, I think it is the strongest we've ever had. Whether in terms of individual level of play or a very conquering and professional state of mind, we have created a group that is undoubtedly the best since I participated in the European or world championships.

There is still work to do, because we did not beat the Italians and the Portuguese were difficult to face. We are far from there, we will have to capitalize on what we created this week in Cagliari. The work is far from finished.

We must already focus on world championships , which will be very complicated without seeding. We will have a difficult group again with teams like Spain, Italy or Argentina. You will have to be present from the first meetings, so it will be intense.

For me, this experience was magnificent, undoubtedly the most beautiful in terms of coaching and emotion since I was stationed with the France team.

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.