While most teams are observing the Christmas break, the seniors over 70 at Tennis des Deux-Rives are continuing their training. Engaged in regional competitions, they alone wear the colors of Tarn-et-Garonne at this level.
While the tennis school and the ladies’ and gentlemen’s teams observe the traditional Christmas break, a handful of diehards continue to hit the courts in Valence-d’Agen. These are seniors over 70 years old, the term veterans officially no longer exists, who maintain their two weekly meetings, Monday and Thursday morning. Without a coach. Voluntarily. They believe they have received enough advice over the years.
Beyond simple physical maintenance, these players have a clear objective: to represent Valence-d’Agen and Tarn-et-Garonne at the regional level. Tennis des Deux-Rives is also the only club in the department to enter a team over 70 years old in the two regional competitions.
Started since October, the Occitanie championship ended with a place in the middle of the table, with two victories and two defeats. An insufficient record to reach the final phase.
In January 2026, the Quincas challenge will begin, with confrontations announced against Auch, Colomiers and the Toulouse clubs TCMS and Stade toulousain (without Antoine Dupont, let us specify). Qualified for the final phase last year, the Valencians know that the task will be more complicated this season, given the level of the opposition.
In the meantime, training continues, sometimes in reduced numbers. Last Monday, there were only four on the court, but the motivation remained intact. A doubles match livened up the morning, the singles becoming more demanding with time, and the quality of the exchanges did not weaken.
The youngest member of the team, Guy Bastié (72), reminded his partners of the full palette of the seasoned player: drop shots, cut backhands and precise passing shots. At his side, Jacques Dépis (76 years old), former president of the club, distinguished himself with always effective throws. Opposite, Georges Lavergne (75 years old), a real metronome, and Alain Chatenet (76 years old) played a regular game, based on high and sure balls, limiting fouls at the net. Result: a match played in five sets. Enough to display a form already looking towards 2026.
Ladies are not left out during the holidays. Last year, the Agathe Paytau-Sarah Ledru double reached the final of the departmental championship. They will not repeat this performance this season, after their defeat on Monday against the Grisollaises (6-4, 6-4). On the other hand, in the Max-Espiaut challenge, the women’s team remained undefeated. A route to which we will return soon.
