La  French tennis federation  unveiled the selection that will represent France at the  Mediterranean Games 2026 , organized at  Taranto (Italy)  du  August 21 to September 3 A historic edition, since for the first time since the event's creation in 1951, the  paddle  will be an official discipline with medals at stake in  men ,  Women  et  mixte .

Mediterranean Games 2026: France unveils its selection for a historic padel event

In the ladies,  Juan Alday  retained  Charlotte Soubrié ,  Steffi Merah ,  Lucile Pothier  et  Louise Bahurel .

While this selection relies on experienced players, one choice in particular stands out: the first call-up of  Steffi Merah  in the French national team.

Aside from the "Big 4" of Alix Collombon, Léa Godallier, Carla Touly, and, to a lesser extent, the young Louise Bahurel, many other players can legitimately aspire to a place on the French national team. Whatever the coach's choice, it is likely to spark debate, or even controversy.

 Merah preferred to Mansart, Sireix or Barla 

The presence of  Steffi Merah  (147th) is the main surprise of this list, while also embodying its true novelty.

Several other players also seemed capable of claiming this fourth place.

This is particularly the case  Camille Sireix  (133rd), French international, who today boasts a better world ranking and is stringing together solid results on the  FIP Tour .

Another name that naturally comes up:  Clara Mansart Having been in the spotlight for several months, the player is having an excellent season. She has achieved several impressive results in international tournaments, reaching the quarterfinals and semifinals on the circuit.  FIP , as well as victories against players from the  Top 100 worldwide His results on the French circuit also confirm his progress.

Finally  Kimy Barla  could also hope to join the group. The Frenchwoman is having one of the best starts to a season in her career and recently joined the  Top 200 worldwide , while also achieving numerous good performances on the international circuit.

 Logical absences at the top of the rankings 

Conversely, the absences of the three best French players are not surprising.

 Alix Collombon ,  Léa Godallier  et  Carla Toully  chose to prioritize the calendar  Premier Padel  et  FIP Tour .

A consistent choice in light of their sporting objectives and their progress in the world rankings.

 A selection that will be closely watched 

The level of competition behind the best French players has never been so high, and several profiles seemed to have strong arguments to join this team, only 4 places are available so choices had to be made.

However, it is important to remember that  Steffi Merah  She too arrives with a very strong case. The Frenchwoman is having a convincing season on the  FIP Tour , Including  a final in FIP Bronze ,  a FIP Silver semi-final  et  a quarter-final in FIP Gold These results show that she is capable of performing at a very high level on the international stage and undoubtedly influenced the coach's decision.

It will now be up to the French team to show that their choices were the right ones during this historic first padel tournament.  Mediterranean games , an event that represents a new and important step in the development of the discipline.

Benjamin Dupouy

I discovered padel directly during a tournament, and frankly, I didn't really like it at first. But the second time, it was love at first sight, and since then, I haven't missed a single match. I'm even ready to stay up until 3am to watch a final of Premier Padel !

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