The results of this last Major of the season raise a fundamental question: Has the schedule become excessive for top-level players?

Last night offered a series of surprises like the circuit has rarely seen in 2025, during the round of 16 of the Mexico Major.
In women, four of the eight best pairs in the world were eliminated prematurely.
At men's, Coki Nieto and Mike Yanguas (TS3) were the only ones to fall, but almost all the other pairs had to play particularly close matches, with the exception of Galan / Chingotto and Stupa / Di Nenno (and even then…)

Difficult conditions, but not enough to explain everything

This situation remains quite unique in a season where surprises are generally rare and limited to one or two pairs from the top level.
Specific factors may partly explain these results: Temperatures above 30 degrees, very high humidity, organizations put to severe strain, not forgetting an annoying wind, particularly on the side trails.

But the most significant event of that night lay elsewhere: an extreme level of physical and mental fatigue in the majority of head pairs.

All you had to do was watch the end of the match Sofia Araujo and Andrea Ustero to understand the scale of the problem. The slightest effort seemed costly, travel became arduous, and visits to the changing rooms and interventions by physiotherapists multiplied.
Conversely, Caldera and Goenaga were still very mobile, aggressive and intense.

One clear observation: too many tournaments for the best players

One observation is inescapable: the season is too longand the players, especially those at the top of the rankings, are playing in too many tournaments.
Today, the world ranking is based on the 22 best results of each player, while the schedule counts 23 major tournaments, P1 and P2.

This does not leave no room for maneuverPlayers are practically obliged to participate in all events to remain competitive in the rankings, otherwise they will quickly fall behind.

Result:

  • players physically exhausted at the end of the season,
  • a obvious mental fatigue,
  • and a sometimes declining quality of play, to the detriment of the spectacle and performances.

P2s in the crosshairs, ranking calculation method needs reviewing

This issue was already among the points of tension between the players and the FIP at the start of the seasontensions that had led to the P2 strike in Gijón, then to the one in Cancún among men, with the exception of Lebron and Stupa.

The demands were clear: to allow players to choosing their tournaments more freely, in particular the P2 competitions less rewarding in points and prize money, but almost mandatory.
A system that some compare to that of tennis, where the ATP 250 and 500 are not imposed on the best players.

To improve the situation, A review of the number of tournaments taken into account for the ranking also seems necessary.Several players are advocating for a total of around 18 results, in order to avoid end-of-season periods marked by exhaustion, as is currently being seen at the Mexico Major.

An essential debate before 2026

The approaching off-season will undoubtedly offer an opportunity for the players' association and the governing bodies to reopen discussions with a view to 2026.
The issue is clear: Player health, schedule consistency, and the overall level of play throughout the season depend directly on it..

Pierre Guille Sanchez

Amateur player from the south of France and passionate about Padel with a particular focus on the women's circuit.

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