Toulouse: Armand Combes, 98, still enjoys playing tennis
Almost a century old, Armand Combes is in great shape. He still drives and, summer and winter alike, regularly comes to the Stade Toulousain tennis to take lessons. And always be happy on a court. A passion that has driven him for 60 years.
“To tell you the truth, when I’m on a court, I just feel like I’m 20 (laughs). “He is 98 years old (since November), but Armand Combes has not lost the pleasure of hitting the little yellow ball. A passion executed at his 40th birthday after that for the pala. “At the time, I was playing on the TOEC wall. Then, I arrived at the Stade Toulousain tennis club in 1989 or 1990. And I have been trained by Béatrix Reboul for twenty-two years. I haven’t played competitively. It never really interested me. What matters most to me is playing for fun, obviously with a preference for clay, a much less traumatic surface for my body, “explains the dean of Stade Toulousain TC who worked as a teacher. of drawing. “I am precisely a watercolourist and I always paint (laughs)”, he insists.
“Each session lasts one hour”
His coach, Béatrix Reboul explains to us the course of their regular training: “Each session lasts an hour. In summer, we start at 8 am, otherwise it is too hot. In winter, we start at 10 a.m. to avoid traffic jams, because he is still driving. We attack by a warm-up in the service squares. Then on made trades. He takes the ball on the first rebound. But I play on him, in accordance. Then on made ranges. He is rarely out of breath. I make him work on the volley and we finish with free play. On the other hand, I no longer use it so that it does not fall. »
More than twenty years together on the pitch, it does not leave you indifferent. Béatrix Reboul confirms it: “Armand is a beautiful person. Even at 98, he still wants to learn something in tennis. He is happy on a court. And I’m happy to see him like this. »