Former French top 50 player, recognized entrepreneur and passionate trainerJulien Pès is about to turn a new page in his life. After contributing to the growth of French padel through his playing career, his adventure French Padel Shop and his commitment to the training, he now flies towards Tahiti to manage a club and pursue its mission: to develop padel wherever it goes.

An unexpected start

It all started by chance in Lyon, more than ten years ago, during a camp organized by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
"The first time I played padel, I thought to myself: But what kind of shitty sport is this? "I remember it well," he laughs. "I came from tennis and handball, I liked things to be fast-paced, and here I was being told to slow down. I really hated it."

But a few months later, in Montpellier, the story takes a completely different turn.
"I'm playing again with friends —" Charles Catalo, Baptiste Delvienne, Yannick Maurel or, Valentin Porte — and that's when it clicks. You become completely addicted.

The French Adventure Padel Shop

In 2019, Julien decided to take the plunge and make padel a life project.
"I asked myself: how can I create my professional future while developing this sport that I love?"

This is the birth of French Padel Shop, an online store founded with Laurent Barthethen joined by Manu GarciaThe brand quickly became a reference for enthusiasts.
"We weren't the first to sell equipment, but we created a real community. We showed that a 100% padel project could work."

Julien finally sold his shares three years later.
"I preferred to pass the torch to Manu and Régis (Monnerie, Padel XPI felt like I was burning out. I was working endless days: website in the morning, coaching at lunchtime, more website in the afternoon, and more coaching in the evening, finishing at 22:30 pm. My day ended with managing the website at home… I wanted to preserve the passion, not kill it.

From entrepreneurship to training

Having stepped away from the world of commerce, Julien is refocusing on what he loves: the field and the transmission.
"I started leading training sessions" DFMP in Besançon, Blois, Corsica… And then there was the TFP, for which I had the privilege of assuming pedagogical responsibility for the League Occitania with Wendy Barsotti »

Through his internships and travels, he gained a wide range of experiences.
"I went to the Morocco, a Italyor a Tahiti "To train coaches, lead workshops, and structure the sport. I'm trying to do my part. My goal is to have zero regrets: to do everything I can to develop padel."

“2024-2025 was a pivotal year,” he continued. “Between the training programs, the sporting management at Nîmes And with projects abroad, I've found my balance. I live my passion and I continue to learn.

A player with clear-sightedness about his career

Formerly ranked 45th in France, Julien spent a long time playing in national tournaments. But unlike others, he never wanted to commit to the circuit full-time.
"I never had that ambition to bet everything to become a pro. What I enjoyed was annoying the higher-ranked players, not making a living on the circuit."

"It's a huge human investment, and my priority was elsewhere: developing my business, my projects."

A clear look at French padel

As a keen observer of top-level sport, Julien remains optimistic about the new generation.
“Before, we had six or seven untouchable players: Bergeron, Blanqué, Maigret, Scatena, Tison, Moreau… Today, the level is much more open and even.

"I'm happy to see guys like Yoan Boronad, Timéo Fonteny, Max Joris ou Manu Vives "To break through. It shows there's a real next generation. We have young people who work hard and never give up. It's fantastic for the future of our padel."

Heading to Tahiti: a human and sporting adventure

It was a seemingly innocuous conversation that started everything.
“A student told me about his son in Tahiti. I said, ‘Tell him I’m coming for two evenings of clinics, just to have fun.’ He understood that I wanted to settle there!”

An opportunity arose from this misunderstanding.
"I went away for three weeks in April: I trained coaches, organized training courses, and met with the heads of the island's clubs."

Seduced by the project, he accepted a few months later.
“I am taking over the sporting direction of the Pirae club Padel, managed by Thomas Dumont, Karyl Peyrolle, Kevin Kucsera et Jean-Luc VorbeThere are currently five runs, soon to be covered, a superb clubhouse on the way, and a real local momentum. They've given me free rein to develop the sport there.

Julien leaves with the same philosophy:
“I don’t want to be bored. Setting up padel schools, training coaches, organizing tournaments and, why not, recreating a padel ecosystem across the whole of the Polynesia »

"Separating padel from tennis? That would be a mistake."

On the question of a possible independent padel federation in Tahiti, Julien doesn't mince his words.
"I think that would be stupid."

“Before, I was in favor of padel becoming independent. Now, I’m against it.” FFT and Tahitian Tennis Federation They have the necessary structure, resources, and network. We must remain within the same family.

A new agreement between the FFT and the FTT has just been signed to revive cooperation.
"This is excellent. Padel needs a strong framework. We can see what the Italian federation He succeeded in doing so: that's the example to follow.

Even if he leaves the city, Julien keeps the same flame.
"Almost ten years ago, I bet everything on padel. I was either going to end up homeless or in the tropics! But at least I won't have any regrets."

Behind the joke, a firm conviction:
"This sport has given me everything. Now it's up to me to make it 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.

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