Let it play, then check afterwards.  Could this philosophy, now well established in football, one day find its place on the padel courts?

For several seasons now, football referees have adopted the practice of no longer immediately stopping certain contentious plays, particularly in cases of very close offsides. When doubt remains, the assistant referee allows the play to continue until its conclusion, even if a goal is scored. Only then does VAR intervene to confirm or overturn the decision. The objective is simple:  Avoid wasting a goal-scoring opportunity due to a misjudgment that can no longer be corrected. .

Is this a principle that can be applied to padel?

In padel, certain situations are reminiscent of this type of scenario. A ball is called out, but several players think it first hit the glass. A double bounce is called even though no one is entirely sure. A ball close to the line immediately sparks discussion.

Today, in the majority of cases,  The point is immediately interrupted with no possibility of going back. If the decision was wrong, the point is permanently lost.

Why not imagine a different protocol?

The controversial match point in the Collombon/Sharifova vs. Montes/Sainz match: Gemma Triay believes the ball was good.
Controversy in Valladolid: the ball that decided the women's semi-final between Rodríguez/Dal Pozzo and Josemaría/González

Let the exchange run its course.

The idea would be simple:  in case of obvious doubt The referee could voluntarily allow the exchange to continue until the end of the point, without intervening.

Once the point was settled, he would consult the available slow-motion replays in order to verify only the disputed event.

For example:

  • Did the ball hit the glass before hitting the ground?
  • Was there really a double bounce?
  • Was the ball in or was it a fault on a line?
  • Did a player touch the net?

If the video confirms that the initial decision was incorrect, the point would be awarded to the correct team.

Exchanges preserved

This approach would offer several advantages.

First,  He would avoid interrupting a spectacular exchange over a mere impression Secondly, it would allow for the correction of certain errors that can have a direct influence on the outcome of a match.

Professional padel now has numerous cameras capable of reviewing most of the action from different angles. The tools already exist; the question is how to use them.

Controlled use

Obviously, it wouldn't be a matter of reviewing every single point.

As in football, this possibility could be reserved  in situations where the referee has genuine doubt , or possibly to a limited number of “challenges” requested by the players.

The goal would not be to slow down the game, but on the contrary to  preserve the pace of exchanges while improving the accuracy of decisions .

A debate to be opened

Padel regularly seeks to evolve its refereeing and rules. Between the gradual introduction of video replay in some major tournaments and discussions surrounding the electronic challenge,  to allow the referee to let a point finish before reviewing a disputed action  could constitute a natural evolution.

One question remains:  Is padel ready to adopt this “let play, then check” philosophy that is now part of the football landscape? 

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.

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