Should the French Tennis Federation automatically assimilate our best French players from padel in the top 10 of the FFT ranking? And even assimilate them as French number 1?

5 players in first place!

In the ladies, you officially have a player in first place in the FFT ranking: Jessica Ginier with 15.500 points.

However, we actually end up with 4 other players at the French premiere of the ladies ranking: 3 Spanish and our French, Alix Collombon.

Laura Clergue is also assimilated to 2nd place in France, which is equivalent to 13.950 points (Place de Mélissa Martin)

And we could go on like this for a long time.

There is undoubtedly a logic of the FFT and all the more among the ladies.

But, is it normal to have 5 players in first place in the FFT ranking for women? Knowing that only Jessica Ginier has the points. It is a safe bet that Alix Collombon, if she was not assimilated, would have more or less as many points elsewhere than her French partner Jessica Ginier.

Good to say as much that our question is perhaps unsuitable for the ladies circuit, because today there are still significant differences in the French top 10/20 and we have a Ginier / Collombon pair which has been flying over the national circuit for 2 years.

But the debate remains all the same, and even more among the gentlemen.

2 numbered players 1 French including 1 assimilated, normal?

In men, it is a little more complicated since the competition is particularly tough.

For example, we see Johan Bergeron, the only French number one in February 2020 (not counting foreign assimilates) with 16.480 points (also in March).

Jérémy Scatena is the 5th French player with 11240 points in February 2020. The following month, the 100th world player finds himself assimilated number one French. If we do the calculations, he jumps 4 places and 5.240 points.

Is it normal to end up with 2 numbers a Frenchman whose journey is very different. We also recall that Johan Bergeron is in the top 120 worldwide.

A solution ?

It is clear that the FFT thus wishes to automate a national classification according to international classification, which makes sense. But, from our point of view, it may be making a mistake in doing so. Indeed, this can create a certain injustice and it does not make our circuit padel French very attractive, since no need to participate in 10 tournaments to be at the top of the ranking ... No need even, in absolute terms, to participate in a single tournament with performance objectives because assimilation makes it possible to block the classification.

It is the players themselves who provide the solution to this "injustice".

To keep the same state of mind that the FFT rightly wishes to breathe into the padel, we should start on a assimilation table like the federation does today for tennis players with a good ranking, but with a bonus point system.

This has the advantage of being completely transparent and the players know that according to the international ranking, they have a bonus of so many points guaranteed in the ranking of the French ranking.

Here is a system (as an example) that could approximate this one:

  • 250 - 200: + 1000 points
  • 200 - 150th place worldwide: + 1300 points
  • 150- 120th place worldwide: + 1600 points
  • 119-101th place in the world: + 1900 points
  • etc.

Benjamin Tison gives us his opinion on the evolution and the implementation of these bonuses:

“What is important for the system to work is that there is a different cut between 150 and 120 then 120 to 100 because we only have 150 points of difference between the 101st and 149th player in the world ”.

It may be necessary to adapt the cut according to world rankings and years. Because there are years when the “cut” can evolve. Who better than the players concerned to report this information?

The return of the players concerned

The triple champion of France of padel, Johan Bergeron is one of the big losers for the month of March with the ranking update. Indeed, the one who was at the head of the French ranking is no longer the only French one since Jérémy Scatena was automatically assimilated to French number one whereas he was until then the 5th French player.

And surprised, Jérémy Scatena fully approves of Johan's annoyance: “I would be in his place, I would not be happy ”. Same for Benjamin Tison, the current 2nd French player who says “don't understand FFT".

Johan Bergeron believes that the FFT should “transparently set up a table which clearly indicates the number of points added to the French ranking according to its world ranking. It would have the merit of being simple and fairer".

Johan offers a “bonus points between 1000 or 3000 points depending on the world ranking ”.

Benjamin goes on to explain that “the idea of ​​bonus should at least take into account 1 different cut between 150 and 120 then 120 to 100“. Indeed, between the 101st world place and the 149th world place, there is “only 150 points of difference”.

In the end, this would have the consequence of guaranteeing the best French players a good ranking of padel without this automatic assimilation system.

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovers the padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since padel is part of his life. You often see him touring France going to cover the major events of padel French.