1.65m versus almost 2 meters: once upon a time… Florian Fradin and his giant partners

À 35 years, Florian Fradin embodies these profiles from the tennis who found in the paddle much more than a substitute sport. Tennis instructor since 2009, With a best ranking at 5/6He discovered padel in a particular context, following an injury that would profoundly redirect his career.

"Basically, I am tennis coach since 2009I discovered the paddle following an injury, a ruptured cruciate ligaments in February 2020In 2021, I started playing to fill in when a player was missing… and I quickly became passionate about it.

What begins almost by chance quickly becomes obvious. Florian spends more time on a padel court that on a tennis court, he embarks on his first P100 and P250 competitions, and decides to structure his new business.

“I was spending more time playing at paddle than tennis. So I spent the DFMP to be able to offer padel lessons in addition to tennis lessons. And at 1st January 2023I became self-employed as full-time padel coach »

Padel Occitaniaa new framework for a new career

This career change is taking place within a recently established structure in Montauban: Padel OccitaniaFlorian settled there as full-time teacher, while continuing his sporting development.

The results followed quickly. He became departmental champion two consecutive years, in 2023 and 2024, and today reaches the 800th place in France, With a best ranking at 626th.

“I mainly play…” P500, due toone or two per month"Sometimes three, if time and organization allow, near my home."

1.65m versus almost 2 meters: once upon a time... Florian Fradin and his giant teammates

First victory in P500then an exceptional weekend

After two defeats in the final, one of which faces Bastien Blanquéaccompanied by his coach Christophe Semmartin, the first victory in P500 happens on June 29, 2025, next to Théo VanSchendel.

But it is especially in December 2025 that Florian Fradin achieves a fine performance on the French circuit: three P500 wins in three days, with two different partners.

P500 Tolosa Albi – December 12, 2025

Associated to Mathieu Roy (ranked 752nd)

"He does almost two meters, Me 1m65... "

course:

1st round: 9/3
Quarterfinal : 9/2
Semi-final (vs 1nd seed – 308/296: 6 / 3 6 / 3
Final (vs seeded 4: 2/6 6/3 10/5

P500 The Cahors Arena – December 13, 2025

With Emmanuel Boisselier (ranked 605th)

course:

Quarterfinal : 9/7
Semi-final (vs seeded 4: 4/6 6/0 10/6
Final (vs 1nd seed – 308/392: 6/2 5/7 10/5

P500 Padel Occitanie – December 14, 2025, at home

Again with Mathieu Roy

course:

1st round: 9/2
Quarterfinal : 9/3
Semi-final (vs 1nd seed – 550/391: 7/6 6/7 10/8
Final (vs 2nd seed – 618/679: 2/6 7/6 6/4

Three tournaments, three titles, in a demanding sequence both in terms of physical that mental.

Little training, a lot of commitment

One of the most striking elements of the journey of Florian Fradin remains his approach to training.

"I didn't take only one padel lesson throughout my life. And I do very few training games"One per week, sometimes one every two weeks."

He explains that he compensates in other ways.

"The rest of the time, I mostly try to get involved in the legs during my individual lessonsIt brings a certain pride to have succeeded in this pass of three P500s with so little training.

The size difference, assumed with humor

With its 1m65Florian regularly plays alongside much bigger partners.

“My partners often put me one or two heads in the photos, like Mathieu, who is not far from two meters, with whom I won two of the three P500s »

And he added with self-deprecating humor.

"I asked for a short walk "To look less ridiculous in the photos, but they didn't have that in stock..."

Objectives: enjoyment, competitiveness and opportunities

In the medium term, the ambitions remain clear and deliberate.

“Continue to to have fun, stay competitivewin new P500 and, on occasion, go on P1000 if the opportunity arises.

A clear-eyed look at the evolution of padel and the organization of tournaments

As player et teacherFlorian Fradin is closely observing the evolution of French padel.

“Padel is experiencing a incredible expansionIt continues to grow, both in terms of the number of participants and competitors.

However, this growth is accompanied by organizational difficulties.

"With the increase in the number of competitors, the number of tournaments also increases. Unfortunately, I find that there are too many..." trop, or that the planning is not yet at the level »

He specifically points to the competition between events.

"Sometimes we find ourselves with six tournaments on the same weekend, at fairly close distances. Some tournaments are struggling to fill up, others have the required number of teams but not the expected level for the category »

For him, better coordination is essential.

" A harmonization and agreement between clubs would be ideal. But above all, it shows that the The potential for development in padel is still immense. and that sport can only continue to grow.

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.