Le Premier Padel Italy Major has not yet really begun and already the controversy is rumbling. The cause: extreme playing conditions, which have grown Rafael Mendez, current 90th in the world, to express his anger publicly.

The Spanish player, involved in the preliminary phases, did not mince his words on his networks after a stifling day. « This morning, we won 7-6 in the third set after 2 hours of play, in 30-degree heat, in extreme heat conditions... So far, OK, that's our job. » But it was what followed that really lit the fuse. "In the afternoon, after finishing the morning match at 13:30 p.m., we were made to replay the decisive match for the main draw at 18:30 p.m., with all thata Major represents in terms of points and money...And we ended up withdrawing due to the health of my teammate Toni Bueno. Judge for yourselves, I prefer not to talk," he concluded bitterly.

And it's hard to argue with him. In the middle of June, playing outdoors in Rome often means facing a big heatStarting earlier in the morning seems like an obvious solution to limit risks, but the organization clearly did not anticipate.

This is not the first time that players have pointed the finger at the unsuitable schedules in this type of tournament. But when it affects health, the debate can no longer be ignored.

It remains to be seen whether this rant will make the organizers react or if this kind of situation will continue to be relegated to the rank of “collateral damage” of outdoor tournaments.

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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