From tennis to padel

 2016 Lionel Mandrillon (Ligue ARA)

Tennis, from the age of 4

After a trial session at the age of 4, tennis became part of my life. Looking back, I think that at the time I could have loved padel or any other racket sport. I've always been comfortable with a racket, whatever kind it is. But since my family played tennis, it was only natural that I tried this sport at their club. Given my abilities, I was allowed to join the mini-tennis group, even though the minimum age requirement was 5.

Learning while having fun

I loved playing tennis. The mini-tennis sessions weren't enough for me. Whenever I could, I would go and play with my parents or against a wall. I took part in all the mini-tennis animations around my home. I don't remember it, but apparently at the age of 5, I said I wanted to become a professional, while being aware that I couldn't become number 1, as that spot was occupied by Rafael Nadal at the time!

Two years in the regional training sessions

The transition to "orange balls" level, which meant a bigger court, faster balls and my first real tournaments, did nothing to dampen my motivation, quite the contrary. After a good result in my first regional tournament, I was selected to participate in my first national tournament, where I beat Lucas Bazin. I mention this because it was the only time this happened in six years of competition. Today, Lucas is one of the best players of our generation. Respect. As I progressed, I had the chance to join the 2008 group trained by the regional league at the age of 8, for two years.

Still having fun, but...

I still enjoyed playing tennis as much as ever, but I wasn't ready to invest more time. Three training sessions a week, without physical preparation, suited me fine. On the other hand, I took part in a lot of tournaments because I loved competition. But then Covid and a tragic family event happened and brought me to a screeching halt. At the age of 12, I fought to get back into tennis. Little by little, I regained my level and my motivation. I rediscovered my taste for competition. Two years later, I was in the top 60 boys born in 2008, but it wasn't like before; frustration and weariness took over. Especially since, in the meantime, I had tried padel.

Discovering padel

My friends and I wondered what kind of activity could be played in these ‘funny’ cages with these ‘funny’ rackets. We heard that this sport was great and that it was going to spread throughout France and even around the world. So in 2020, I tried it and immediately loved it. I discovered a friendly, fun, technical, fast-paced and spectacular sport that perfectly suited my search for new sensations. We spent more and more time on the padel courts at our club. Whether it was windy, rainy, cold or sunny, we played for hours. Nowadays, don't even mention rain to me!

Keep on playing tennis and padel?

For three years, I tried to balance both sports. At first, it was easy, as padel was more of a hobby for me. But after two years of playing for fun, I wanted more, and competition began to appeal to me. So, my friends and I started playing in tournaments, adults tournaments. Tournaments for children did not exist at that time. Despite poor results at first, my preference for padel continued to grow, as the qualities mentioned above were complemented by the lake of frustration. The more I played padel, the more I loved the sport and the less I wanted to play tennis.

The turning point

Three events finally convinced me. In August 2022, I was selected for the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes team to compete in the French Junior Team Championships. In October 2022, I was selected for the first time to join the French national team to compete in the European Junior Championships in Spain. And finally, in January 2023, I met Johan Bergeron, who offered to coach Thomas Basso and me.

It was decided: next year, I would put away my tennis rackets and devote myself to padel.

J. Robert

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