Toulouse. Paul Cayre: “I discovered the other side of a tournament”
Former 856th in the world, he supports its president Marc Tiersonnier in the management of the event. A role that is part of the end of his studies.
How did you find yourself within the organization of these Internationals of Toulouse?
This year, I finished my Master 2 at the Grenoble School of Management. But for my end-of-studies internship, I had the opportunity to evolve this year within the club. This allowed me to have various missions and, above all, to discover in more detail the functioning of a sports club. Then, with the prospect of these Toulouse Internationals, my integration into the organization team was quite natural. Admittedly, in my tennis career, I haven’t had the chance to play many Challengers tournaments. However, I still know pretty well how the pro circuit works. I know most of the players registered in this 1st edition. It’s really a good experience for me. I discovered the other facet of a tournament. Marc Tiersonnier, the president of the club, is the tournament director. Behind, it’s asking for a lot of teamwork.
For the moment, what is your assessment of these Internationals of Toulouse?
By organizing a Challenger circuit event, there is a need for much more important specifications than for an ITF tournament. These Internationals were pronounced last Sunday with the qualifying table. And for the moment, I believe that the results are largely positive. Of course, we will do a debriefing after the end of the event. But we are very satisfied. Feedback from players is very positive. On the first day of the tournament, the public has been quite large since. The only parameter that we do not control is the weather. We had to stop the matches on Tuesday evening because of the rain. But the sun came back the next day and it will be there until the final.
On a personal level, do you plan to get back on the pro circuit?
Yes, with the end of my studies, this is my objective for the next season. First of all, I hope to be able to train on a more regular basis. And the other important parameter will obviously be the physical aspect. If the body and the head are fine, it’s easier to recover fully on the tournaments of the pro circuit.