Un tweet for the International Federation of Padel puts the chip in our ears. Is the CUPRA FIP Finals will display full tables?

Du 14 at 20 december the last meeting will take place padel of the International Federation. A different tournament this year since the season did not have all the events planned on the calendar.

For the occasion, the organization decides to make several choices. First the place: Cagliari in Sardinia. A few weeks ago a FIP Star rated tournament took place there, followed by a WPT stage. A success. The place is heavenly by the sea, the club lends itself to events of international size.

Then from make 2 tables. A final table and a table of previas. In the final table, the winners of the FIP Star tournaments of the season appear directly, some players from selected countries having participated in at least 3 FIP tournaments during the season, and 10 pairs drawn at random beyond the ranking 17 of the WPT. In the previa table, 10 other pairs of countries selected then 18 other pairs drawn at random.

If we analyze these CUPRA FIP Finals, we could say that it will be an extraordinary party who will mark the end of 2020 with a bang? Tournament winners, representatives from all FIP member countries, very good WPT players, and lower category players. A feast of padel which, we have no doubt, will be followed on the screens, and taken care of by the organizers.

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And yes there is a but. A tweet from the FIP makes us think that the tables are not yet filled and that we will have to fight to attract players. Is Cagliari the best place for a date like this?

From an infrastructure point of view no problem, but we must not forget that we are in a complicated period and thatwe can't travel the way we want. The PCR test is mandatory to enter Italy, and is expensive (over 100 €). In addition, Cagliari is in Sardinia, and obviously, the access is less easy than in a big city like Rome.

So we don't want to say that Rome would have been a better choice because the tournament has not yet started and certainly the tables will fill up, but if we compare with the FIP Star in Mijas (Spain) where more than 160 pairs were announced… Why ? Because the high level players are mostly in Spain and do not need to do a lot of kilometers or PCR tests to move (the test can be requested for the realization of the tournament).

The other question concerns Wild Cards table. The fact of making a draw between pairs of the WPT and the Wild Cards makes that there is a probability of end up with first rounds between Wild Cards and others between pairs of the WPT Top 30. Some good WPT players do not want to pay for PCR tests and plane tickets to Sardinia knowing that there is a significant risk of being kicked out in the first round ...

The International Federation is planning Finals in an atmosphere as we like them, and in a magical setting. But do you think the choice of Cagliari is the most suitable for players to scramble to participate in these CUPRA FIP Finals?

Julien Bondia

Julien Bondia is a teacher of padel in Tenerife (Spain). Columnist and advisor, he helps you play better through his tutorials and tactical/technical articles padel.

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