“They are cowards and opportunists”: the players who “profit” from the Gijón P2 fiasco

Le Gijon P2 could be played out in an explosive context. While Premier Padel and FIP had sensitized the players to register to guarantee a competitive plateau in Spain, the tournament is found shunned by the world's best. No players in the top 100, very few representatives of the top 150, and a list of participants that looks more like a test of FIP Tour than at a professional circuit event.

This massive absence raises a real discomfort In the world of professional padel. Some point the finger at those who have chosen to take advantage of the context to collect easy points and prize money and who ultimately behave like “cowards”. A controversy that once again highlights the tensions within the circuit and which could well leave its mark.

The new rules of the circuit Premier Padel : “It’s shameful”

A Frenchman seeded on the circuit Premier Padel

In this context, the presence of Julien Seurin (150th in the world) and its Spanish partner Pablo Pastor (181st) as seed n ° 7 of the tournament is a real surprise. It is a historic premiere for French padel: never has a Frenchman found himself seeded in a stage of the professional circuit.

But behind this unprecedented fact, a burning question arises: Will all these registered players actually play in the tournament? And if they do play, will they face a wave of criticism? Some players who refused to participate are already talking about “shame” for those who chose to be there.

The top five French players in the world rankings, Thomas Leygue, Bastien Blanqué, Dylan Guichard, Johan Bergeron and Maxime Moreau, on the French side, will not participate.

A plateau far from the expected level

To date, the highest ranked player in the Gijon P2 is Italian Simone Cremona (106th). He is followed by another Italian, Lorenzo Di Giovanni (127th), then by a third transalpine player, Emiliano Iriart (130th). No top 100 players will be present.you alone six players from the top 150 are announced.

Inevitably, this situation creates a new controversy among the players of world top 200. Some point out the attitude of those who go there. And the words used towards these players who participate in the tournament are very harsh: “shame, profiteer, opportunist, betrayal…”

Rank	1 Player	Nationality	Ranking	2 Player	Nationality	Ranking	Total Points
1	Jaume Romera Barcelo	ESP	165	Simone Cremona	ITA	106	720
2	Simone Iacovino	ITA	154	Lorenzo DiGiovanni	ITA	127	595
3	Leonel Daniel Aguirre	ARG	164	Gonzalo Gabriel Alfonso	ARG	139	481
4	youssef hossam	EGY	157	Julian Lacamore	ARG	175	402
5	Boris Castro Garcia	ESP	142	Enzo Jensen Sirvent	ESP	191	401
6	Emiliano Martin Iriart	ITA	130	Mauro Agustin Salandro	ITA	243	398
7	Pablo Pastor Landaburu	ESP	181	Julien Seurin	FRA	150	394
8	Alejandro Jerez Carnero	ESP	167	Cayetano Rocafort Lores	ESP	173	371
9	Diego Arredondo Garcia	MEX	184	Manuel Gayone	ARG	159	358
10	Sten Richters	NLD	166	Bram Meijer	NLD	179	355
11	Maximiliano Sanchez Blasco	ARG	172	Federico Chiostri	ARG	182	333
12	Henrique barbosa	PRT	134	Alejandro Caton	ESP	212	330
13	Pau Minano Ortinez	ESP	203	Daniele Cattaneo	ITA	159	320
14	Pablo Molina Tofanelli	ARG	187	Christopher Martinez	CHL	196	268
15	Diego Garcia	ESP	143	Francisco Cabeza Teres	ESP	174	265
16	Sergio Nieto Simon	ESP	205	Diego Dorta Diaz	ESP	186	259
17	Manuel Aragon Herrera	ESP	169	Facundo Dehnike	PRY	238	253

Criticisms that particularly target Italian players

Behind the scenes, tensions are rising. Some players on the world tour are denouncing “those who take advantage of the system”, while others are “trying to reform it.” One player explains:
“These top 200 players who are participating in this tournament, it’s a shame for them. Now we all know who are the ones who have no morals and who prefer to take advantage of the system instead of fighting for the future of the circuit.”

Italian players are particularly targeted by some Spaniards and Argentinians in the top 150 :
“These Italians who come in droves to Gijon P2, while they are regulars on the circuit and should be defending their rights, it is a real shame.”

FIP still the target of players

Another accusation that often comes up is: With the FIP being headed by an Italian, Luigi Carraro, some suspect “non-verbal, indirect” pressure being exerted on the transalpine players..
“Perhaps these players don't really have a choice... They must be there to support the FIP and avoid finding themselves in conflict with Carraro.”

Let us remember that the majority of players are very disappointed with the FIP's behavior in this matterThey would have liked the FIP not to be only in reaction, but rather in action, in order to protect the interests of the players who trusted it in this transition from World Padel Tour toward Premier Padel. Following this affair, she has clearly lost a lot of credibility with professional players.

Others also explain the reasons why some players succumb to temptation and denounce their cowardice:

“How can we not understand these players who give in to temptation by registering for this tournament? Premier Padel, taking advantage of the lack of competition to collect valuable points for the rest of the season? But what they don't realize is that this tournament and these points will remain a indelible stain in their career. They can make all the excuses in the world, but the truth is: they have been cowardly. "

Tensions in Professional Padel: A boycott with serious consequences?

An explosive situation despite attempts at calming down

Faced with this revolt, Premier Padel had tried to calm things down by sending a letter to the players. The organization stressed that Not playing the tournament could have consequences on partnerships, future competitions and the circuit in general.

But clearly the message did not have the desired effect. Tensions remain high and some players could even forfeit at the last minute to avoid being looked down upon by their peers and being accused ofopportunism.

Towards maintaining the tournament despite everything?

According to our sources close to Premier Padel, Gijón P2 should not be cancelled despite this almost general boycott of the world's top 150. However, organizers could expect some last-minute withdrawals, which could further weaken the field.

The matter should not end there and risks having repercussions on the next stages of the circuit. Premier PadelIt remains to be seen whether this situation will prompt the authorities to review their strategy and react to the growing protests.

In the short term, one thing is certain: the big loser in this story is obviously the fans, but also and mostly the tournament organizer, who finds himself in an unimaginable position. He will therefore have to deal with a men's plateau not only comparable to a test of first category of the FIP Tour, but also with a complicated atmosphere for the players who came enjoy opportunities, points (and prize money) to win.

And of course, these elements will be in everyone's heads and spectators will not fail to remind us. Fortunately For the organizers, the ladies' slingshot did not take place. This is the only branch they can now to hold on.

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.