BY PHILIPPE CARNUS, LIVE FROM THE PARALYMPIC GAMES
For the first time in 5 participations, Stéphane Houdet leaves the Paralympic Games without a medal. It is with great lucidity and positive words that the French champion reacts.
Your first feeling about these Paralympics?
Throughout the competition, the stadium was incredible. It’s new for us, because we’re not used to having so many people in stadiums. Congratulations to all the fans who supported us.
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For the first time, you are leaving the Games without a medal…
There’s a very simple thing… Since the beginning, my medals have been in my arms. (Editor’s note: Stéphane Houdet is referring to his children). I’m with my family, with an extraordinary audience. We play every game at 100%. It’s true that the medals are magnificent, we’ve all experienced some pretty difficult things… So, being in shape, being alive, with children, who are magical, these are our medals. It allows us to put everything we do into perspective, and whatever happens, tonight, we’ll celebrate as a family.
Are you going to continue?
Yes, I’m continuing and I’ll be in Los Angeles. And Yannick (Noah) too. He said it before, “As long as the players want me, I’ll be there”. And I want him, I think everyone wants him. He’s given us so much.
“We try to play faster and faster, to take time away from our opponent. It’s not easy to integrate all that”
That’s to say ?
A new way to approach wheelchair tennis, and above all, at the very highest level. That’s what we needed. In a few months, he is capable of revolutionizing wheelchair tennis.
Has the level of wheelchair tennis evolved?
Of course. With professionalization in particular. Have you seen the quality of the coaching? It plays quickly, it plays very well, the players are prepared throughout the year. We are lucky to play the four Grand Slam tournaments, to have a circuit with more than 200 tournaments. To have prize money. As in tennis, Roger Federer said, you lose more often than you win. The level is just incredible. Afterwards, I don’t think I’m one of those who worked the most in the run-up to the Games. We had two children born recently, one in January 2023, the other in March 2024, it requires attention. My wife is an entrepreneur who also travels the world. We try to cross our schedules… When we get together, we need to spend time together. Let’s say that I dedicated my life to tennis, maybe a little less than the others. I arrived at some tournaments without being well prepared. But we were lucky to have Yannick with us. I think my level today is better than in March. That leaves great prospects for the future.
Before Los Angeles, what will it take for four years to win a medal?
The idea is to improve the return-volley. Yannick’s observation is clear, there are players who, if I go into the exchange, will end up catching me. This forces me to play with two or three touches of the ball, and to make return-volleys. The same goes for the serve, with the desire to make the difference on two or three shots. We try to play faster and faster, to take time away from our opponent. It’s not easy to integrate all that. It’s exhausting, it’s difficult, until you realize that you can do it well. It can help us. Afterwards, maintaining that over an entire match, an entire tournament… We need automatisms. So precisely, what separates us from Los Angeles is to create these automatisms. Afterwards, for us, it will be natural.