The victory of  Franco Stupaczuk  et  mike yanguas  au  FIP Platinum of Albania  It wasn't just the sporting result that made headlines. The presence of several top-ranked pairs in the world at a FIP tournament reignited the debate about the distribution of points and the balance of the circuit.

When questioned by SPORT,  Carlos Pozzoni , coach of Stupaczuk and Yanguas, unequivocally defended his team's choice while acknowledging the limitations of the current system.

"Our competition is not Tapia and Coello."

Faced with criticism regarding the presence of the world's No. 3 pair in a FIP tournament, the Argentinian fully accepts it.

For him, the question is not whether the tournament is of a lower category, but who is registering for it.

"If a pair like Coki Nieto and Jon Sanz or Martín Di Nenno and Paquito Navarro signs up, I have to go," he explains.

Pozzoni points out that the battle for the rankings is now being fought with the pairs surrounding Yanguas and Stupaczuk. Maintaining the world number three ranking has become a major objective in an increasingly competitive circuit.

According to him, the 600 points awarded to the winner of a FIP Platinum represent too important an opportunity to ignore.

A points system that raises questions

While defending the participation of his players, Pozzoni acknowledges that the current system deserves to be reviewed.

He specifically points to the possibility for some players to participate in a tournament consecutively.  Premier Padel  then a tournament  FIP Gold  ou  Platinum  in order to accumulate more points.

For the Argentinian coach, the problem does not come from the players but from regulations that can sometimes favor certain scheduling strategies at the expense of sporting logic.

"We need to find a solution that is good for everyone," he summarizes, while admitting the difficulty of satisfying both the world's top players, those in the middle of the rankings and those seeking to join the elite.

The Jofre case: "It's legal"

Pozzoni was also questioned about the controversy that marked the Albanian tournament.

The Spanish player  Inigo Jofre  had registered with the Hong Konger  Lok Hei Jamie Yau , a very low-ranked player whose level had sparked numerous reactions.

The Argentinian does not seek to defend the image conveyed by this situation, but points out that it now respects the rules in force.

According to him, this type of practice has existed for a long time in professional padel and remains extremely difficult to regulate.

"The image is bad, yes. But it's legal."

For Pozzoni, changing the rules seems simpler on paper than in reality. He believes each change risks creating new problems, especially for emerging players or atypical associations.

Galán and Chingotto deserve more credit

Stupaczuk's coach also spoke about the fight at the top of the world rankings.

In recent weeks, some observers have explained the difficulties of  Wall  et  Coello  by a drop in level. An analysis that Pozzoni does not share.

For him, the recent results are primarily the fruit of progress in  Gallant  et  Chingotto .

He goes even further by currently describing Alejandro Galán as "the best player on the circuit".

According to him, the Spanish-Argentine pair has taken a step forward in recent months while Tapia and Coello remain at an extremely high level.

A clear objective for Yanguas and Stupaczuk

Regarding the rest of the season, Pozzoni remains cautious.

The main objective remains maintaining in the  world top 4 , a position which he already considers very difficult to maintain given the current density of the circuit.

But the ambition is also to win a first major title together.

"We have our own battle," he explains, aware of the gap that still exists with the top two pairs in the world but convinced that his duo continues to progress.

A speech true to the character: direct, pragmatic and without mincing words on the issues currently stirring up professional padel.

Benjamin Dupouy

I discovered padel directly during a tournament, and frankly, I didn't really like it at first. But the second time, it was love at first sight, and since then, I haven't missed a single match. I'm even ready to stay up until 3am to watch a final of Premier Padel !

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