On the occasion of  FIP Promises Paris by WME , organized at the Tennis Club of Lesigny,  Padel Magazine  reunited  Jean-Thomas Peyrou Founder of the  Big Padel Academy , and  William Solis , President of the Lesigny club. The two men discussed their new collaboration, which began a few months ago and goes far beyond the scope of this international competition.

Between training, youth support, coach exchanges and bridges between Lesigny and Bordeaux, they detail their shared vision for the development of French padel.

 Padel Magazine How did this collaboration between Lesigny and the Big Padel Academy? 

 Jean-Thomas Peyrou: 
"First and foremost, it's a human encounter. I met Guillaume a few months ago when he came to present his project to me. I immediately sensed someone with enormous energy, someone who wanted to build things."

This year marks the second edition of the  FIP Promises Paris by WME , of which I am the tournament director. I am very proud to see this project grow.

Thanks to Guillaume, the Lesigny Tennis Club and especially to the entire sports association as well as the many volunteers who have been working for months, we are fortunate to welcome some of the best young players in the world here today.

"For me, if we truly want to develop padel, we need to create these kinds of events and support young players in their development. Guillaume already has a strong base of young players at his club. For my part, I have an academy entirely focused on performance. Ultimately, it made sense to combine our expertise."

 Padel Magazine You often talk about an “ecosystem”. What do you mean by that word? 

 Jean-Thomas Peyrou: 
"Today, it's not simply about organizing a tournament.

We are trying to build something much more comprehensive.

There is the FIP Promises, which allows young people to compete at an international level.

There is the Tennis Club of Lesigny, which trains a lot of young people and has been developing padel for several years.

There's the Big Padel Academy, which supports players who wish to take the next step in their progression.

All these structures now work together. Some young players will continue to represent Lesigny while training regularly with us in Bordeaux. Others will do internships or join the academy. This is exactly the kind of pathway we want to create.

 Padel Magazine So, in concrete terms, has this collaboration already begun? 

 Guillaume Solis: 
"Yes, absolutely."

We have just returned from a training camp organized in Bordeaux with several of our young players.

We have already been able to see the first effects since some have had a very good tournament here in Lesigny.

The idea now is to continue this work over the long term.

One thing needs to be clarified: when Jean-Thomas speaks of “my club,” he is referring first and foremost to the club in the town of Lesigny and all its members. We are an association, and our mission is to continually offer more to our members.

The arrival of Jean-Thomas and the Big Padel Academy provides exactly what we were missing. It's an incredible complementarity.

For the Lesigny players, it's a fantastic opportunity to have support like Jean-Thomas and his academy. And for the Bordeaux players, when they come to play or train with us, they'll also have all the necessary facilities. Everyone wins.

Jean-Thomas Peyrou and Guillaume Solis unveil their joint project for young people

 Padel Magazine Several young people are already going to join the Big Padel Academy? 

 Jean-Thomas Peyrou: 
"Yes, and it's already very concrete."

Last week, an entire team from Lesigny came to train in Bordeaux.

Loann Jovasevic is currently at the academy for several weeks and could join it permanently as early as September.

Nolann BallayHe, on the other hand, is going to come and live in Bordeaux for a year in order to follow the academy's program.

Sacha Devriendt, who also trains at the National Training Centre (CNE Vichy), will come to spend several weeks preparing with us this summer.

These players will be able to take advantage of our structure, our coaching and our experience to continue to progress.

And they probably won't be the last. We hope that many other young people will be able to benefit from this pathway between Lesigny and Bordeaux.

 Padel Magazine So this collaboration doesn't only concern the best young players? 

 Guillaume Solis: 
"Absolutely not."

Of course, our priority is to support young people who want to perform at the highest level.

But this collaboration will also benefit our recreational players.

I already know several people who regularly train at the Big Padel Academy. They simply want to progress, to reach their personal best.

For us, it's just as important.

Our role is to offer solutions to all our members, regardless of their level.

The goal is that no one feels limited because they play in Lesigny. On the contrary, we want to open as many doors as possible.

 Padel Magazine Will the coaches also be involved in this collaboration? 

 Guillaume Solis: 
"Yes, and that's a crucial point."

This year, we will probably go with our teachers to find out how the Big Four works. Padel Academy

We want to observe their working methods, understand their organization and continue to progress ourselves.

We already have a very good teaching team in Lesigny, with a sports director and quality teachers.

The idea is not to copy what is done in Bordeaux, but to draw inspiration from it to enrich our own way of working.

The more our coaches improve, the more our players will benefit.

 Padel Magazine So, what is your shared long-term goal? 

 Jean-Thomas Peyrou: 
“Our ambition is to create lasting links between the structures.

We want young players to be able to move between Lesigny and Bordeaux without feeling they have to choose between their club and an academy.

If French padel wants to continue to grow, it will need to increase these types of collaborations.

 Guillaume Solis: 
“My goal is simple: I never want a player to think, ‘I’m at Lesigny but I’m stuck.’”

I want him to be able to participate in an international tournament like the FIP Promises, go to train in Bordeaux, come back to the club, continue to represent Lesigny and build his own career.

We want to offer maximum opportunities to our players, whether they are competitive or passionate.

That's exactly what we're building together.

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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