Back to the interview with handball world champion Valentin Porte by Robin Haziza in Live with an athlete on Instagram.

  • Resumption of handball after confinement

In handball, TV rights do not generate as much money as in football or rugby, so it would be very complicated if not impossible for us to play behind closed doors, because we rely too much on the recipe in stadiums.

  • On his motivation despite all the titles he has won

I work above all for pleasure. As soon as I get up in the morning, I have only one desire: to go to train! When you're a top athlete you hate defeat. I was fortunate enough to win titles but I'm still missing a package. These are goals that remain. And even if I win these titles that I miss, I will want to win them 3,4 times!

  • On the management of Claude Onesta

It was Claude who gave me my chance. He was criticized for that but I could see a little bit how he was. He said "I'm not a coach". Sometimes when we got to training he was on the side, he read the newspaper! He had the best players in the world, he gave them the reins, let them play the game, while overseeing everything. At that time, it worked very well and thanks to that France had a lot of titles.

  • On his reaction to failure

Before, when I was in check from the start, I became timid, I was afraid of losing the team, so I no longer took a shot. Today I have evolved, I have added strings to my bow, and even if I fail I try to do things to be useful to the team. If I'm not good at shooting, I have to be fully on defense, on passes, etc. to help my teammates and get back into the game a bit.

  • On its passage from Toulouse to Montpellier

The first 6 months were very complicated. I had the keys to the truck in Toulouse and I arrived in Montpellier in a large team where I was perhaps not even number 1 in my position. I was not playing at my best level but the coach continued to trust me, to put me in the Champions League. I understood that even if I was not always very good in attack, I brought by defense, by my desire.

  • On the failure of the French team at the Euro

We are not used to failure, we do not want to get used to it, but everything has an end and when there is a generation renewal, the hardest part is to rebuild a collective, to start again to win. But beware, Portugal is a nation that is progressing very quickly, it is a good handball nation. When I arrived in the France team there were only two new ones. During the renewal, half of the players have changed, we have good players but that is not all. This is what we like in sports, surprises.

  • On his management style as captain in Montpellier

I'm not a guy who talks a lot. I'm quite an introvert, I want to lead by example, on and off the pitch. Sometimes you have to yell, sometimes encourage, sometimes praise. I shouted too much in early February (we chained 4 defeats in a row, first time for Montpellier). I was yelling at me too, because I wanted to, I'm not flawless.

  • On his relationship with Jérôme Fernandez

I didn't know he was playing padel. It makes me happy that you teach me I can give him a wank! (laughs). It was very important to me to have had the opportunity to play with a player with so much experience. He was always perfect, always on time, it really was the image of the captain.

  • On his discovery of padel

I started to get started in Toulouse, in Toulouse Padel Club, just before leaving for Montpellier. I did 2 or 3 games with friends. And when I arrived in Montpellier I stopped playing there. Then I got back to it last year, I was playing with a broken racket. And there I got into it thoroughly, as soon as I have half a day I try to fit in a game.

  • On his side at padel

I play on the left! I am left-handed but at padel I am right-handed. All I throw is left hand, but all I take in hand is right hand.

  • On its ranking

I think that there I must be 700th, I try to make a maximum of tournaments but it is complicated between training etc. I always ask if it is possible to shift the matches a bit so that I can come, I love tournaments. We did a 1/4 final of P500 with my volleyball buddy Sébatien Huchard, it's my best result.

  • On its objectives at padel

My goal is to beat tennis players. Not coming from tennis, it's my little pride to beat tennis players, it annoys them! (laughs) I compensate for my lack of technique with desire, not to let go. I have a competitive spirit, when I start a sport like padel it's to be the best you can be. I'm going to work, train, maybe take courts.

  • What he thinks about the athletic level of padel

It's a bit the same type of effort as in the hand, fractional. I would like to see the World Padel Tour in Live to see what it looks like in real life. Already I saw the P1000 in Cap d'Agde, I played the P100, I saw Tison / Maigret play, I had a great time, I understood what it was padel.

  • On what brings him padel

When I stop my professional career, there is no way I will stop sport. I found at padel all i love about sports, find another circle of friends, have a beer, have a bite to eat. I'm better at hand when I play padel because it clears my mind.

  • On the future of padel

It's a fun sport, you have fun right away whatever your level. It's super telegenic, everything is done so that it takes well. I want to be nickel at the end of my career, when the padel will be there !

 

Find the + / the other themes / the anecdotes / the INSIDE in the podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHz0ZC58g0A&t=23s

Xan is a fan of padel. But also rugby! And his posts are just as punchy. Physical trainer of several padel, he unearths atypical posts or deals with topical subjects. It also gives you some tips to develop your physique for the padel. Clearly, he imposes his offensive style as on the field of padel !