When did you first meet Thierry ? I’ve know Thierry for 17 years now. First time I saw him was in ’87, during the Junior French Championships in St Cloud, Paris, France. We were both in the Benjamin group, and we had both lost against the same opponent, Mathieu Benoît, today an osteopath and still a very good squash player, around 15th in France. But at the time, we didn’t sympathise more than that, we didn’t speak really or anything. We were too young. What did you think at the time, and did you change your mind since? I do not remember what I thought that way back, I was too young! The only memory I have from that event are a program from the championship, my tears, Mathieu’s tears after the final, where he beat me 3/1, and a photo of the presentation, so with Mathieu, Thierry and myself that Mathieu’s parents had sent me. So, no real opinion at the time. I can remember his blue soft fabric Adidas track suit from the photo… I also remember that, like all the Reunion players and their support staff that come to mainland France, they went and bought hundreds of items from the Virgin Megastore and Go Sport, as goods in La Réunion were extremely expensive, and the choice rather poor… Thierry main’s fault? Sorry to disappoint you, but actually Thierry has several. His main one, I feel, is to be very (too much?) discrete, and to travel through life quietly without making any splashes, as he always stays focused on what he is doing, whether during a tournament or in training. Because of that, he doesn’t have the exposure his professional status should offer him (in terms of advertisement, financial and media-related). He also has his little habits, and won’t budge from them, he doesn’t open to the outside world that much, although he has improved a lot during the recent years on that level. In the same token, he doesn’t know much about fashion, about looking good, that’s not his scene, he is so not comfortable in a suit or in formal clothes, he is so not a “fashion-victim”. His world is about long large shorts, flip flops and tee-shirts. He loathes the pre or post tournament parties with the officials. He prefers to be quiet in his room watching a good DVD and savouring a nice rice meal… Another fault. Very often, is to try ot to offend anybody, and to avoid confrontation or issues, he is not going to say what he thinks, he is not going to get involved, he is not going to give his opinion. He does that to protect himself, to avoid being implicated into troubles or problems, to be able to evolve serenely and to do “his stuff” without being labelled in this camp or the other. He doesn’t say much, but he thinks a lot… And as a friend, sometimes, it’s difficult not to know what he thinks sometimes. I hope he won’t hate me after reading all this, but the friend I am has the duty to tell him what I feel, no holds barred. His best quality (ies) As for the previous questions, I would say that one of his main qualities is his discretion, to mind his own business quietly, without perturbation, to evolve in a serene environment, to optimise more and more his training, and everything he undertakes. When Thierry proceeds on a path, it’s extremely unusual for him to run off the roadway! He is mentally solid, and doesn’t get distracted by this or that. That’s his strength, he doesn’t scatter himself, he always follows his plan, his goals, without deviating (or it’s extremely rare). On the squash side, his strength comes from his mental. He has very few “off” days, where he would have a low motivation. And there again, it’s the main difference with the other players, when he enters the court, he is there 100%, whether it is for training or for a match. There is no half-way. And I find that outstanding to be able to stay motivated and focused 100% day in day out. Also, Thierry is faithful. People who were there 15 years ago are still here, and it paid off. I’ve got the feeling that in tennis for example, the players don’t do things in the right order, they employ a friend or a mate as a coach, more for the company than for the working environment. Where if you take the relationship between Thierry, Paul & Franck, the relationship intensified with time, and nowadays, both coaches are part of Thierry’s life. Whether with his coaches, or his family, he is extremely well surrounded and supported, and that is crucial in a career. What did he change on the French Squash level. When he reached the number one spot in January ’04, his world title and his dominance of the rankings for about a year, he put a spotlight on our sport, in the written press for example, where squash is spoken about much more than before (even if it’s too little..), TV interviews, etc. But apart from that, nothing really changed, despite his great results. We have three players in the top 20, the French Team is world Team runner up, but it doesn’t attract sponsors. The proof is that we do not have a French Open where we could display our best French players in front of a home audience, expose our best qualities and encourage the vocation of players to the younger audience. Now, it is true that Thierry's results and French results in general prompt the younger generation to try and push us out of the way, and to give themselves the means to succeed. To use a cliché, he is the locomotive, and I believe more and more young players want to get on board the train… Is there a bit on envy towards him? Well, as we compete on the same tournaments, there is inevitably the desire to do as well as he does, the frustration of going back to the same room as him (as we often share) as the loser. But every individual is different, so if I had to envy something, I would fancy his ultra-straight conception of life. And everything he got he worked bloody hard for it, there is no other secret. In your opinion, what makes him the champion he is? Often you hear that the difference between the champs and the others, is the accumulation of little details…. Also, Thierry knows how to take a new look at himself on a regular basis, amend what didn’t work, and start again, without dwelling on the past. He never relaxes, he does everything in function of his squash, and in my opinion, that makes the whole difference. On top of that, he is very well surrounded, and when he falls, he will be picked up by his entourage. Finally, I think Thierry is probably the one that works the most on the quality of his training, without neglecting any detail, and that is the big detail that makes a big difference.
	Three words to describe him : Resilient, mentally as well as physically Serious (too much?) : sometimes, I think he should let go a bit, it could only be good for him, and probably wouldn’t hurt his squash either. And I know he is able to do so, I’ve seen him! Reflective : he never let anything be the fruit of chance.
	Personal Message :   I just wanted to say that I’m proud of what he has realised in his life up to now, and that he should be as well, that I’m proud to train with him, and in my small way, to bring my own little rock to the edifice of his success. On the other hand, it’s a two way street, and he contributes also to my success. And actually, he very kindly thanked me personally among many others of course when he became world number one, and that was obviously very pleasing… And to finish, I hope he won’t forget about us stuck in France when he returns to his island of la Réunion at the end of his squash career.