HEAD Padel Tennis Paris 2026 in Marnes-la-Coquette
On 20 and 21 June 2026, Forest Hill La Marche in Marnes-la-Coquette near Paris became a stage for tennis, padel and show. The second edition of HEAD Padel Tennis Paris combined a P500 padel tournament, a tennis pro-am and several exhibition matches into a hybrid weekend. With Richard Gasquet, Mansour Bahrami, Paul-Henri Mathieu and Benoît Paire, the event attracted some of the best-known faces in French sport and underlined its ambition to bring two related but distinct disciplines together in a visible way.
Saturday: tennis as spectacle
The first day was all about tennis, but not in a classic tournament format. Instead, spectators enjoyed a relaxed yet impressive exhibition in which Mansour Bahrami above all captivated the crowd. The Franco-Iranian showman, a former Roland-Garros doubles finalist, proved at 68 why he remains one of the greatest entertainers in sporting history. Unlikely shots, powerful serves, smiling rallies and even sung passages in the style of Frank Sinatra drew laughter and applause.
Bahrami combined technical control with improvisation and turned the court into something close to a stage. For the crowd, it was hard to resist that energy. Even when speaking about his longevity, he kept it simple: when you love what you do and enjoy doing it, many things become easier. Beside him, Benoît Paire, Richard Gasquet and Paul-Henri Mathieu fully embraced the light-hearted format. Rather than a strict competitive atmosphere, closeness to the public and shared enjoyment took centre stage.
Bahrami: joy as a driving force
Bahrami's distinctive presence also stems from an unusual background. Without a classical tennis school, he grew up playing with improvised rackets, using pieces of wood, shovels or even a frying pan. From that came an instinctive, free style he still embraces today. For him, tennis always remained child's play, and that attitude shaped his appearances in Marnes-la-Coquette. On court he teased, experimented, smiled and conveyed not only points but also passion for the sport.
Asked about his remarkable form, he said that time on the tennis court was the most pleasant and happiest moment of his life. That sentence captures the spirit of his performance: Bahrami is not only a player but also a messenger of a playful attitude that reaches the crowd directly.
Sunday: P500 tournament on the padel courts
On the second day, padel took centre stage. A P500 tournament confirmed the event's second identity and attracted a mix of personalities and committed players. Alongside former champions such as Thierry Omeyer and Richard Gasquet were padel specialists including Johan Bergeron, Sacha Huard de la Marre, Nathan Perrot and Elsa Pellegrinelli. The mood was competitive without losing the convivial spirit of the weekend.
Not every participant came from the padel world, yet many showed a strong level. Tennis experience sometimes helped with timing and feel, while glass walls, positioning and tactical reading made clear that padel remains a discipline in its own right. That blend of familiar movement patterns and new demands made the matches both exciting and entertaining.
Mathieu sees padel as an accessible sport
Paul-Henri Mathieu, who discovered padel several years ago, is not surprised by the sport's rapid growth. For him, success is explained above all by accessibility and fun. Padel is easy to pick up, appeals to a wide audience and is especially suited to shared experiences with family and friends. He cited that social dimension as one of the main reasons for his own enthusiasm.
Paire keeps padel in leisure mode
Benoît Paire has been a frequent presence on padel courts in recent months but draws a clear line: for him, the sport remains above all a leisure activity. He does not aim for a professional padel career and does not want to invest the same intensity there as in tennis. At the same time, the former world number 18 admits he takes great pleasure in the game with the right partners.
Paire also follows professional padel, especially at major events, and recalls his visit to Marseille as particularly striking. Live, he finds the sport even more spectacular than on television. Defence impresses him most: the complexity of the glass walls and rebounds is often underestimated by tennis players at first. Only on court does it become clear how hard it is to defend depending on the ball coming at you.
Two worlds, one weekend
The success of HEAD Padel Tennis Paris lies in connecting two sporting cultures. Tennis brings legends and history; padel adds accessibility, community and a tactical depth that surprises many former pros. Richard Gasquet was present on both days, symbolising the bridge between the formats. For two days, rallies, laughter, exhibitions and competitive matches shaped the picture in Marnes-la-Coquette.
The second edition thus confirmed the concept of an event at the crossroads of sport, show and shared experience. For the French scene, the date remains a clear signal that tennis and padel need not compete but can strengthen each other within a modern event format.
