Friday February 13, 2026
At only 16 years old, Manon Dayan has already weathered a storm that few athletes experience. Deprived of the use of her legs due to a rare illness, she transformed the ordeal into a driving force. Considered a young tennis hopeful destined for a professional career, the Iséroise became a champion in wheelchair tennis. She has just won the prestigious Petits As tournament. Story of the atypical journey of this teenage fighter.
There are victories that are worth more than a trophy. That of Manon Dayan belongs to this rare category in which sport goes far beyond performance and demonstrates strength of character and extraordinary resilience.
On February 8, 2026, this 16-year-old won the prestigious Junior Masters in wheelchair tennis. Petits As. A brilliant consecration for her whose trajectory changed suddenly three years ago.
In Bourgoin-Jallieu, this young Iséroise was promised a bright future in tennis, her passion. Fast, diligent, determined: she was among the great hopes of her club. The professional dream even seemed within reach for her who, at the age of 13, had completed a year of sports studies in the American academy led by Patrick Mouratoglou, the famous French coach who notably trained the former world number one, the American Serena Williams from 2012 to 2022.
Read also : “I quickly mastered wheelchair tennis”: Ksénia Chasteau, of the motorcycle accident at Roland-Garros
From dream to nightmare in 2023
But in January 2023, everything collapses. His life turns from dream to nightmare. He was diagnosed with dystonia affecting his right foot which stopped his ascent. This pathology, which affects 45,000 people in France, causes a motor disorder characterized by intense, involuntary and prolonged muscular contractions. Gradually, this rare disease even deprived her of the use of her legs. For the teenager, the shock is immense. Tennis, its passion, its balance, suddenly seems out of reach.
But Manon is not the type to give up. She then discovered wheelchair tennis. She tries it successfully. Just a few months after her discovery of the discipline, the young Habs returned to the courts with intact determination. Perhaps even increased tenfold with a hunger for revenge on life and an iron will, impressive mental strength.
In Tarbes, she had a perfect week, match after match during the Petits As wheelchair tournament: a competition that she had already won three years earlier while she was still able-bodied.
Respect and complicity
In the final, against her northern compatriot Cléo Ginterdaele, Manon Dayan showed her composure. Net score: 6-3, 6-2. “I am very happy to have won, but it also made me a little sad for Cléoshe admitted after the meeting with our colleagues from Dauphiné Libéré. She is my partner, my friend… and today my adversaryconfided the winner, still overcome by the intensity of the moment. With the stress, it wasn’t easy. Even if it wasn’t the best match of our lives, we will remember it. »
On the other side of the net, Cléo Ginterdaele recognized the superiority of her friend, despite a good week for her too. “Manon played very well. I tried to fight until the end. There was a lot of emotion today. Despite everything, I am very happy to have gotten this far. »
Read also: Roland-Garros. “Now or never”: what enthusiasm for wheelchair tennis after the Games?
A healthy rivalry, driven by the respect and complicity of the two players. For Manon Dayan, this coronation goes far beyond the sporting framework. Each keystroke, each movement in the chair tells of a reconstruction in progress. Because behind the champion in the making, there is a teenager who is also fighting to one day regain the ability to walk again. In any case, Manon’s victory already commands respect.
date: 2026-02-14 01:45:00
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