Present at  FIP Silver Port of Bandol ,  Nicolas Vagneck  is not a referee like the others.  First international padel referee qualified in France , also  experienced tennis referee , he shares his view on the differences in regulations between the  FIP  and the  FFT , the organizational challenges, the inconsistencies to correct... but also on his astonishing daily life shared between tournaments and teaching  mathematics .

 Dual-circuit expertise: “Two different regulations, two approaches” 

From the start, Nicolas reminds us that  refereeing an international tournament  like the one in Bandol does not work like a classic FFT tournament.
“In an FIP tournament, we are validated by the  International Federation of Padel , after having been designated by the  French Federation . You must have a specific international diploma, separate from that of tennis.

But the differences don't stop there:
" The  rules of the game  are the same in theory, but in practice, everything changes. In France, we have “Frenchified” certain rules by analogy with tennis. For example, the  rest time between points  is  25 seconds in FFT  salary.  20 seconds in FIP . Same for the  physiotherapy breaks  the  procedures change  between the rules of the FIP padel game and France. Players must be  briefed  when they change circuits.

 Table Management: “Starting three times has become the norm” 

The most sensitive subject remains that of the  table management .
"Unlike tennis, where the draw is published once the players are known, in  FIP  we publish the table much earlier (the final table, which starts on Friday, is published on Monday), and we are often obliged to  remake . In  Bandol , the main men's draw was  redone three times  because of  last minute packages , including seeded players.

And these adjustments have  very concrete consequences  :
"Pairs prepare to face one team, then learn two days before that they will ultimately play against another. On Wednesday, two French players ranked 10th changed opponents following a  withdrawal of No. 5  »

Nicolas Vagneck, padel referee

 Avalanche of Lucky Losers: “Up to eight in the final table” 

À  Bandol , the system of  lucky losers  has reached an unprecedented scale.
" There was  four qualifying finals planned . The four losers entered the main draw. In addition, four losing pairs from the  second qualifying round  were fished out according to their  ranking Without  draw  »

This is  regulatory innovation , according to him:
“Before, we proceeded by  draw  to choose the Lucky Losers from the losers of the 2nd qualifying round. From now on, it is  automatic for finalists , and the other places are allocated to the  ranking  »

Result:  surprising situations  occur.
"There are matches that are replayed in the main draw, between pairs who had already faced each other in qualifying: this was the case in Bandol."

 Strategic withdrawals: “The rigor of tennis is lacking” 

A lot of  packages  are grouped, sometimes without clear justification. Nicolas mentions a  system still perfectible .
"The FIP has established a  deadline at D-2 at 17 p.m. . Beyond,  fines  may apply, up to  500 dollars . But in fact, they are  rarely applied  »

And the  medical certificates  ?
"The players should come and have them verified by the  tournament doctor . Nobody does it. They send a document to the FIP, which then decides whether or not to apply the sanction. It is  very blurry  »

A clear contrast with tennis, according to him:
"On the circuits  ITF , the fine is  systematic . And  dissuasive . Here, players juggle between  FIP  et  Premier Padel They sign up for both, wait to see the board, then choose...

 First international padel referee in France 

 Nicolas Vagneck  was the  first in France  to spend the  international padel diploma .
"I was in the first batch proposed by the FFT. Officially, I am the  first graduate . Others followed, such as  Bruno Tissiere  a few weeks later.

Today, he focuses almost exclusively on  the international  :
"I still do a lot of  training  (at regional and national level), and before  P2000 , but I no longer do classic French tournaments ( P500  ou  P250 ). I am designated for events  FIP  when there are any.

 A double daily routine: referee… and mathematics teacher 

What makes his career atypical is also his life off the field. Nicolas is  middle school mathematics teacher .
“I intervene in tournaments during my  holidays  or over authorized periods. I have a status of high-level official 'which allows me exceptions.

Its  students  are often intrigued:
"Sometimes I go away for a week. They have independent work. Some are happy not to have classes, others catch up. I'm not replaced (the absence being too short)."

And padel is never far away… even in class:
"I used  concrete examples in progress , on ball speeds or distances. It's more telling. Padel is also a  way to capture attention  »

Nicolas Vagneck, padel referee Bandol

 Tennis or padel? “Complementary, but padel is more relaxed” 

Nicolas remains very attached to the  tennis , his original discipline.
"I do about  nine tennis tournaments for one padel tournament . But both bring me something. Tennis is more  rigorous ,  codified . Padel is more  dénddu ,  flexible  »

However, he insists:
"This side  relaxed  must not prevent the development of  stricter rules . It is necessary  professionalize  the structure, particularly on the  withdrawal management  and the  sanctions  »

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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