Jérôme Bécasset and Jean-Marc Herard will carry out daily a zoom on a league and its representatives for the French championships of padel au Padel Lyon Club (Padel Central).  The league of Flanders is sifting through.  FLANDRES girls

 1 / Fitness trail

Océane KIK (OK): I started playing tennis at the age of 6. Champion of Flanders on several occasions, I participated several times in the French championships and joined the sports-studies section of the League of Flanders. Tennis marked my childhood. Unfortunately, a health problem halted my progress. Today, tennis remains a passion. My best ranking was 5/6.

Sylvia SANNELLI (SN): I have been playing tennis since I was 5 years old. Depending on my professional constraints, I try to participate in a few tournaments.

My current ranking is 15/1 and my best ranking was 15. I participated 2 times in the French championship 3rd series at Roland Garros in 2012 & 2015, I reached the 1/4 final this year.

I am a bit involved in all racket sports (squash, badminton, table tennis) and for several years I have been discovering and practicing with great pleasure “new emerging sports” such as beach tennis and tennis. padel, which offer a more fun and friendly environment than tennis.

2 / The discovery of Padel

OK: I had already heard of the padel a few years ago but I got really interested in this sport when I took part in a tournament at the end of June at the Lesquin club. And I love it, I'm a fan.

SN: I discovered the padel during various interclub preparation stays in Spain in the Barcelona region in 2007/2008/2009. In the end, everyone gave up tennis rackets to indulge in padel… Real addicts!

3 / Experience and Goals

OK: I play very little padel because the land is quite far from my home. I love this sport, I have more fun on a padel than on a tennis court. I plan to participate in all the next tournaments organized in the region!

SN: I practice padel occasionally but with a lot of fun. The existing infrastructure in the north does not yet allow me to play several times a week (the closest club being more than 40 km from my home). We look forward to lots of padel near Valenciennes to be able to make the most of it.

4 / Which club?

OK and SN: We play Padel Attitude to Lesquin and we are licensed at Tennis Squash Badminton Valenciennes,

5 / Your partner?

OK: Sylvia was the one who introduced me to the padel. We used to play tennis together so we tried a tennis tournament. padel together, and it worked well.

SN: We have played doubles with Océane several times over the past 2 years during tennis interclubs. The current goes well and she is very dynamic and agile on the fly. I offered to show him the padel, she immediately hooked.

6 / Course during the regional qualifications

OK: The regional qualifying phases took place in a good atmosphere. Unfortunately, there were very few women's teams, but it was a great experience, and I can't wait to discover the French championships.

SN: We played qualifying at Padel Lesquin's attitude. Only 3 women's teams registered, but it's a good start for a first edition! I am sure that next year we will be at least 8 teams, the padel being in full expansion in our region.

7 / Ambitions and prognosis for the finals

OK: To be the first ladies' team to be French champion in padel, and mark the history of French sport.

SN: The idea is to gain maturity and experience during this first edition of the championship of France. Having qualified is already a performance of choice! The pleasure of the game will be our first motivation. I would be satisfied if we reached the final 1 / 4.

OK and SN: We do not know the other qualified teams,

8 / Message for opponents

OK: Be careful girls, the ch'ti are coming to the Padel !

SN: Let's have fun and have a good time together, with good humor and fair play.

OK and SN: We are a young team, but we will give everything in the field :))

FLANDRES boys

1 / Fitness trail

Johan Romanowski (JR): I started tennis when I was 7 years old, I got my best ranking at the age of 24 (-4/6). Several times regional champion, I participated in many national and international tournaments in the youth category. I played 16 seasons in National (from N4 to N1B)

Thomas Dulion (TD): I started tennis at the age of 14, I got my best ranking at 22 at 5/6, with a better performance at 2/6.

2 / The discovery of Padel

JR: I discovered the padel in 2005 with my friend Nicolas Sene (ex first squash and badminton series). We came from different racket sports and the padel brought us together.

TD: I discovered the padel in Spain during a preparation for an interclub competition with the first team of Valenciennes. We got so caught up in the game that we didn't play much tennis anymore…

3 / Experience and Goals

JR: Apart from a few tournaments played between 2005 and 2007, we can say that my experience began in September 2014 with the opening of Padel Attitude (Lille-Lesquin). Since then, I practice regularly in the company of some friends,

TD: We started with Johan a year ago when we opened Padel Attitude.

4 / Which club?

JR and TD: We play Padel Attitude of Lille-Lesquin represented by Mrs Duhamel and Nollet and have been licensed at Tennis Squash Badminton in Valenciennes for 10 years. A development project of padel is also in progress.

5 / Your partner?

JR: We have been playing together since September 2014. Our common philosophy makes us a complementary team.

TD: We have been working together for 8 years. We know each other very well, which allows us to complement each other in the field

6 / Course during the regional qualifications

JR: the tournament took place in a very good spirit despite the stakes and the heat of the north!

TD: Everything went well, we didn't lose a set of the day!

7 / Ambitions and prognosis for the finals

JR: we have no idea of ​​the French top level, the experience will necessarily be enriching. We would be happy to avoid the last place. We have recently seen the team composed of Franck Binisti and Justin Garnier evolve, which looks solid. We were lucky to be advised by Robin Haziza, thank you to him, but he plays in a different category than ours.

TD: we have the ambition to find out what the level represents in other regions.

JR and TD: our favorites are Robin Haziza and Jérémy Scaténa

8 / Message for opponents

JR: In the north we also play Padel !!

TD: We play padel and we appreciate the 3nd half time!

flanders league

 1 / League league proceedings

For this first year, we organized a regional championship last June on the facilities of Padel Attitude. In total, 20 men's clubs and 3 women's teams took part in the competition over one day. We had very good feedback on this day of the championship. Even if there were very big differences in scores, many players had signed up having played only once before the championship. For 2016, we hope to welcome more female teams.

2 / Positioning the league

There are about ten clubs that have contacted us to know the possibilities of making a field on abandoned outdoor grounds or used space. For 2016, 10 terrains should see the day. The interested clubs are visited to be accompanied on the writing of a grant file. As we strongly believe in this new discipline, the league has decided to pay a fee of 5000 € per short (For clubs with less than 200 licensed) and 10000 € for 2 short (more than 200 licensed).

3 / Help, actions and upcoming events

  • Padel Attitude is organizing its first approved tournament on December 6.
  • Depending on the construction of the fields on the tennis clubs, we will propose several departmental championships and a regional championship next June.
  • Two-day awareness raising on the Padel for our State graduates in training.
  • Organization of the French Championship in October 2016.

4 / Who to contact?

A reference Padel has been appointed, you can contact Judith Merchie (06 83 39 16 98 or judith.merchie@fft.fr) for more information.

Jerome Becasset

Jérôme Béasset is the Paquito Navarro of the team Padel Magazine. Offensive on all subjects of the world of padel, he returns to many subjects with an always discerning eye.

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