Revelation of the last Roland-Garros tournament, the 20-year-old Fonsorbais Hugo Gaston will leave the Blagnac club, where he arrived at the age of 9. He signs at Stade Toulousain tennis, to compete in the next men’s national 1 interclub. A news that shakes the landerneau of tennis.
The last Frenchman to compete at Roland Garros, arrived in the round of 16 after his victory against Wawrinka and a huge resistance against Thiem, Hugo Gaston changed dimension in a few days. And aroused ambitions. Arrived at the BTC (Blagnac tennis club) at the age of 9 from Fonsorbes, the number 1 hope of French tennis is committed to the Stade Toulousain tennis. He will now play the national 1 team interclub, the men’s elite, canceled this winter because of the Covid-19.
Need guarantees
A change in extremis – the transfer window ended on Tuesday – which leaves a bitter taste in Blagnac, against a background of misunderstandings. More than financial dispute: the sums at stake, a few thousand euros, are derisory compared to football transfers. “It’s a mess. Hugo and his family were torn, they are uncomfortable. He is attached to Blagnac, where he has a lot of friends, where he has always been put in good conditions. is not a mercenary. He needed guarantees, BTC could not provide him on time. It was a bit artistic blur … The club had an incredible comeback with Hugo’s exploits, but he does not have the means. In return for what he could pay him, the club asked for regular attendance, incompatible with the schedule of a high level tennis player who plays around the world “confides a friend of the player.
“The club’s priority is training and financial stability. In the midst of a health crisis, we can not take any risks. Until now, the club has always invested in team 1, without necessarily having the returns of Notoriety. Are we going to continue at this level? We do not know “estimates Brice Bernard, sports director of BTC, in the absence of President Caracatsanis. Indeed, who, apart from a few hundred enthusiasts, knows that Blagnac was vice-champion of France at the end of 2018, with very good Spanish players, Ramos, Andujar, Martinez Portero, Robredo, unknown to the general public, against top stars 5 worldwide, like the Greek Tsitsipas or the Russian Medvedev? At the crossroads, the BTC, a family club that offers a racket and a tracksuit to each of the kids at its tennis school, wanted to build its elite project around Hugo Gaston, with specific help from the municipality. . Lost bet.
“We can understand Hugo, who will also find his physical trainer at the Stadium, Kevin Blandy. He wants to enter the world top 100, but that requires big means. One example, he must go to Australia a month before the open . Besides the plane and the catering, at a rate of 400 € per night for the two rooms of his coach and himself, it can be calculated quickly. He needs serenity “breathes a tennis teacher.
“Not a matter of money”
With Colomiers, who recruited Benoît Paire and other foreign players two years ago, Stade Toulousain, also in National 1, is one of the other big clubs in the Occitanie league. With more sponsors, its thousand players, its 20 fields including 10 covered and 13 clay courts against 12 and only 4 covered in Blagnac, the Sept-Deniers club jumped at the chance. “We met at the beginning of July, well before Roland Garros, and we have finalized in recent days. It is not the Stade against Blagnac. It is not a matter of money, we do not ride on the But we can offer Hugo other facilities, especially on outdoor clay. He often trains with Bonzi, Reymond, Reboul, other youngsters from French training. They play together, they are friends. They have been asking for him for several years. It’s as simple as that. He loves rugby, we allow him to join the big family of the Stadium, associate him with the brand. We hope to allow him to take a step forward and especially to preserve it from any pressure, ”explains the president, Marc Tiersonnier.
If Hugo Gaston, now 157th in the world, continues to progress, the Stadium could however be rubbing its hands. Both sportingly and in the media. Rather discreet, the young man had to respond to a hundred interviews after his recent exploits, and we have seen or heard him on many TVs or radios. Now it’s time for tennis. What he does best.
