From his first exchanges with friends to the final of the Pyramides Open, Thomas Mitjana shares a journey as passionate as it is unusual. Injuries, rise to prominence, highlights: the Pyramides club coach explains how padel became his world. Discover his story.

The beginnings: a discovery between friends

"I started with some friends in 2018 because we weren't good at all. As soon as one of us did something good, we'd tease each other and laugh. We started doing small tournaments for fun, and I found the atmosphere was crazy."

Coming from a tennis background, Thomas immediately appreciated the friendliness specific to padel:
"In tennis, you're alone with your opponent, and that conviviality had been somewhat lost. Whereas in padel, you arrive at a club, you play several matches in the same day or weekend. Between matches, we talk, we exchange ideas, we eat together. It's a festive experience."

This atmosphere reminds old tennis players of team matches:
"It was similar to team tennis matches, except instead of five a year, I had two weekends of competition a month. I had a blast every time."

A total immersion in padel

Thomas quickly abandoned tennis completely to devote himself to padel:
"Afterwards, I went all out. I played four hours a day with an unlimited subscription." (editor's note: Padel Bois d'Arcy Club, now closed)

Supported by his friends, some of whom were already close to the French team, such as Adrien Maigret and Benjamin Tison, he progressed at great speed:
"Even though I was light years ahead of their level, they always coached me. I also played with teammates of my own level to continue improving."

He accumulates more than twenty hours of training per week, participates in numerous tournaments and even decides to go to Spain to improve his skills:
"I went to play in Spain with Johan Bergeron, Jérémy Scatena, and Benjamin Tison. I lived with them for several weeks, even several months. It was incredible. Very good memories."

Thomas Mitjana, finalist at the Pyramids: “Padel changed my life”

A strong relationship with Adrien Maigret

The relationship between Thomas Mitjana and Adrien Maigret goes beyond the sporting framework:
"We've known each other for fifteen years. We've gone on vacation together, we've always trained together."

However, the Open des Pyramides is their first official tournament together in seven years:
“It was a great moment to finally be able to play alongside him in competition.”

Youth in power: Muesser/Chamisso take on Maigret/Mitjana at the P1000 des Pyramides

The injury: a brutal turning point

Having reached 18th place in France, Thomas suffered a serious setback:
"I didn't have any points to defend for five or six months. I could have been in the top 15. But in May, I got injured."

The cause of this injury is paradoxical:
"I played tennis again to please my club, as a coach. On Quick, the worst surface for the joints. I blew out my knees."

Result: four months of downtime and the obligation to give up many promising tournaments.
"My partner and I were often seeded. We just had to avoid underperforming to get into the top 15."

Regrets but also beautiful memories

Despite his injury, Thomas has very fond memories of his matches:
"In one year with Matthieu Armagnac, we only lost once in the first round, against Léo Pérez and Nicolas Rouanet. At the time, they were ranked lower than us."

Armagnac/Mitjana wins the P1000 in La Rochelle

He also remembers some very close matches against future big names in French padel:
"There's this regret, or we lose 7-6 in the 3rd round against Cancel and Guichard in the French Championship. Dylan Guichard, who is now in the world's top 120."
“We also lost in the P1000 final against Forcin / Auradou, again 7-6 in the 3rd round.”

He adds :
“In the P1000 final, we beat two top 10 players. So we played some very good matches, some great pairs.”

For the record: “Matt became my best friend and best man.”

“With Max Moreau, it was a superb experience, winning my first two P2s on the right. And then there was also the one I won with Yann Auradou.”

P1000 Vence: victory for Moreau / Mitjana!

Today: teach and continue to vibrate

Thomas Mitjana remains extremely lucid about his future:
"Today, I don't have too many goals in terms of ranking. I know I won't go any higher. The general level has increased enormously."

Nevertheless, he continues to train every day and has a clear ambition:
"My only goal is no longer the ranking, it's to try to win P1000 titles. And if I can do it with friends, it's even better."

The pleasure remains intact:
“A huge thrill. I love it, it’s my passion. I do nothing else now. I teach padel like crazy.”

With already four P1000 titles in around ten finals contested, Thomas Mitjana does not intend to stop there:
"I'd like to earn a little more. And next year, I'm going to try to make even more time for my family, while still enjoying myself on the slopes."

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