At just 20 years old, Paul is experiencing a major turning point in his young career.
Present at FIP Silver of CaenIn his hometown, the French player embodies this new generation that is progressing with method, clarity, and a lot of hard work. In the space of a year, he has gone from 650th to 145th place in France, while gradually building a real sporting project around padel.

A special Silver FIP in Caen

Le FIP Silver of Caen It definitely has a special flavor for Paul. Playing at home, surrounded by his family and its relatives, gives a different emotional dimension to the competition.

"Honestly, it warms my heart to play here," he confides.

From a sporting perspective, the day began with a first-round qualification obtained by default, as the Moldovan players failed to appear. The second match, however, was far more symbolic. Paul prevailed against Albano Padel et Jimmy Devaux, in a match marked more by personal history than by sporting stakes.

Jimmy Devaux is not an opponent like the others: he is him who introduced Paul to padel.

"He's the one who introduced me to padel, who initiated me," he explains.

This encounter was all the more special because he had already shared the track with Albano. Padel two weeks earlier during a P500A match he describes as atypicalbut above all, very enjoyable to play.

A rapid rise on the French circuit

Just a year ago, Paul was playing far from the radar of French padel. Ranked around the 650e placeHe was then in a period of transition, torn between two disciplines.

Today, it is located in the vicinity of the 145rd place nationally, with over 500 places won in twelve months. Rapid progress, made possible by a strong choice: to devote himself fully to padel.

"I was still straddling two sports," he recalls.

At the time, Paul was still playing table tennis at a high level, in national 2but gradually begins to lose the pleasure that had previously motivated him.

"I was starting to not enjoy it as much anymore," he explains.

Paul Lefevre samsh FIP Silver Caen

The turning point after table tennis

Having been trained in table tennis since the age of eight, Paul has a particularly solid sporting background. 12 and 17 yearsHe is among the best young French players, within a generation marked in particular by the Lebrun brothers.

"I was in the French top 10 from the age of 12 to 17," he specifies.

After the Covid period, his progress stalled. His level stagnated, his motivation waned, and a desire for change gradually emerged.

It was in this context that he truly discovered padel, at the club of PadelShot, in Caenwhere he played his first games.

Gradually, the results are coming in for French tournaments, particularly for the P250 and P500. Questioning then becomes inevitable.

"At the beginning of the year, I thought to myself: I'm 20 years old, what am I doing? Am I going to give it my all or not?"

From table tennis to padel, a complete learning experience

Even though some automatic reflexes exist between table tennis and padel, particularly in ball contact, the transition remains complex. aerial game, travel, tactical reading or Smash represent a complete learning experience.

"I had never made a smash in my life a year and a half ago," he admits.

A technical lag that he is trying to overcome through daily investment.

"I train every day," he says, aware that the volume of work is essential for progress.

These results confirm the progress

For several months now, the work has begun to show concrete results on the field. Paul is now putting in consistent performances on the P1000, where he was still struggling to get through the early rounds not long ago.

"Three months ago, I had never made it past the sixth round of P1000," he recalls.

This development confirms the progress made, both technically and mentally.

The crazy spot of the P2000 in Bordeaux

Among the highlights of his season was a point that went viral during the Bordeaux P2000 tournament. During a crucial group stage match against Basil Baud et François AuthierPaul slips near the net because of the sand…

"I found myself sitting on the ground and I thought to myself that I wasn't going to get up," he says.

However, the point continues, and he manages to put the ball back into position totally improbable causing surprise among the public and opposing players.

A structured work environment in Bordeaux

To support his progress, Paul is now training in the JT Padel Academy, in Bordeauxwhere he receives daily monitoring.

Supervised by Jean-Thomas PeyrouIt operates within a structure designed for performance and long-term progression.

"He follows me like a real coach," he emphasizes.

A YouTube channel to share everyday life

Paul has also recently launched his Youtube channel, with the desire to show the behind-the-scenes aspects of his life as a player.

"I want to share my adventure," he summarizes.

He shares his training sessions, tournaments, travels, but also the constraints and difficulties of daily life. demanding exercise sometimes exhausting, which he carries out with whatever means are available and with the help of his relatives.

"It took me 35 hours to produce a 12-minute video.", he confides.

Clear objectives for the future

For the upcoming season, Paul is moving forward with a clear roadmap. In the short term, his main objective remains promotion to the french top 50.

"It's about reaching 50th place in France by the end of the year," he announces.

Only once this hurdle is cleared will he consider fully committing to the FIP circuit.

"Once I'm in the top 50, I'll really start the FIP circuit at 100%. »

Beyond the ranking, he especially emphasizes his evolution in the game, which has been noticeable in recent months.

"Today, I play padel. Six months ago, I played padel ping-pong."

A sentence that sums up well the journey undertaken, and the mindset of a player still under construction, but fully committed to his project.

Maceo ZERHAT

Maceo Zerhat discovered padel in 2020 at Domaine De Clairis in Burgundy. He contributed to the club's expansion by bringing his energy and curiosity. Padel Magazinehe transmits his antoushiasme and his " Padel"mania" by skillfully bouncing on all the latest news about your favorite sport!

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