For three years, Morgane Dorgeret has been responsible for beach tennis at the French Tennis Federation (FFT), which took the discipline into its fold in 2008. One of her main missions is to combat the clichés that still accompany her sport. …
What does beach tennis represent in France?
MORGANE DORGERET.
We have around 44,000 practitioners, with a hard core of 4,000 competitors.
It's fun, easy to access, you can quickly make exchanges.
The discipline attracts more women (28%) than other racket sports.
A lot of girls used to compete in tennis but after a while you have to juggle your personal life, kids, etc.
There, you can do tournaments on a single day with your girlfriends, your friends, it blocks your schedule less.
And then there is the fun side, music, group effect.
That appeals to young people who are a little less attached to tennis in adolescence and who we still manage to keep in our lap.
Morgane Dorgeret is responsible for beach tennis at the French Tennis Federation.
FFT/Etienne Jeanneret
Is the beach-tan-sun image an asset or a handicap?
We struggle a bit on that.
Often people think of themselves as a beach sport and that does us a disservice.
That's beach ball
(wooden rackets and plastic balls),
and it has nothing to do with it.
We fight against this cliché where people think that we necessarily need coconut trees and heat.
They really have a false image.
Yes, you can play anywhere, all year round and at any age.
Even in the middle of winter or in the rain.
All you need is appropriate clothing, technical textiles or windsurfing-style neoprene slippers that insulate from the cold, but also from the heat when the sand is hot in summer!
Have you seen any progress since taking office?
Yes, it is really developing.
We are building a partnership with Sandever
(the brand dedicated to the discipline at Decathlon)
.
They "use" us to establish themselves in France and we "use" them to have a territorial network and take advantage of their research and development part, to find affordable kits that can be assembled quickly to expand the practice. .