Benneteau on the poor form of the French players: "We're paying for what we did wrong or didn't do".

© AFP

Clément Gehl

le 17/02/2025 à 13h00

2 min to read

Benneteau Garcia Gracheva

Julien Benneteau, coach of the French Billie Jean King Cup team, was interviewed by Tennis Actu about the current state of his team and of French women's tennis.

At present, only three Frenchwomen feature in the top 100, and the highest-ranked of these is Varvara Gracheva, only 71st.

"Overall, we're paying for what was done badly or not done at all a few years ago. It's not the work of the last three or four years.

We're paying for what hasn't been put in place for 15 years. In training, in the recognition of women's tennis, in enhancing its value. Valuing players and coaches.

I think some people were put in place by default.

Others are no longer there, even though they had legitimacy and experience. There are a whole host of things that have led to this situation.

We need to ask ourselves the right questions now, on different subjects, but also at different levels, in terms of ranking and age.

We need to think about what we should offer and what we should make compulsory. Knowing that all this takes a lot of time.

He also mentioned the case of Caroline Garcia, who is looking to break out of the top 100 in the next few weeks.

"She's already looking for inner peace as a woman and a tennis player. She doesn't want the woman to be judged by the player's results.

Stress management is something that weighs heavily on her. She's already trying to regain her serenity and enjoyment of the game.

She's with her fiancé and future husband at the tournaments, trying to enjoy the circuit and be happy.

She's gradually getting back into tournaments, and we'll see how demanding she is in terms of results.

I don't think the rankings are a priority for her. She wants to live well in tournaments and perform well.