Le Santiago Premier Padel P1 left no one indifferent. At the heart of the discussions, one topic dominates: the quality of play proposed by the players, largely influenced by particularly fast tracksA tournament where traditional padel seems to have given way to a game of a rarely seen intensity, to the point of questioning the direction the circuit is taking by offering this type of stage.

Ultra-fast and spectacular matches… but at what cost?

From the first rounds, he was impossible not to notice some completely crazy matches, where the pace is frenetic. Like Miguel Lamperti, capable of achieving smashes by 3 from the baseline with sometimes disconcerting ease, several players have taken advantage of these fast conditions to shine.

But these are not the only ones: Augsburger and Cardona created the feat by releasing the world number 1 pair from the round of 16, a complicated scenario in a more classic context.

A one-way padel match for the men

It must be said, these conditions are extreme. Among the men, it is theall-out attack. Defensive games are non-existent, both the speed of execution and the bounce of the ball make any recovery almost impossible. bounce is so high and so fast that it leaves very little room for strategy or patience.

Is this a deviation? In any case, it is the question that many fans ask themselves. Because here, goodbye to defensive phases, goodbye to long exchanges, goodbye constructionThe key word: smashes, smashes, and more smashesUnless you completely miss, the ball bounces so high that it is almost impossible to play it back.

Thomas Leygue, on its social networks, has also perfectly illustrated this phenomenon in a video. Result: certain matches, particularly in the middle of the afternoon, become almost unwatchable. For lovers of finesse and variations, it's better to look away, otherwise you'll end up with a headache.

The weather factor, an issue of fairness?

And then let's not forget that The game can evolve very widely with changing climatic conditions. We saw it, an evening match offers conditions that have nothing to do with the daytime. There is indeed much more game in the evening, with a less lively ball, longer exchanges and a more balanced dynamic.

In fact, some player profiles may be advantaged or disadvantaged according to their match schedule. The question ofsports fairness The question therefore clearly arises: isn't there a problem if the outcome of a match depends as much on the playing conditions as on the qualities of the players?

Do we need tournaments like this?

In front of this situation, two visions oppose each otherOn the one hand, those who regret a loss of identity of padel, and on the other, those who believe that these conditions must exist to promote the biggest hitters. But to what extent should we go? Has the line not been crossed? ?

Could the organizers have slow down the playing conditions ? The use of a different ball – which was tried in men – had no noticeable effect. Other options such as a specific carpet ou more impact-absorbing windows might have helped balance the game.

Anyway, it is likely that debates will emerge quickly to rethink the approach for the next edition. Because this version of the Santiago P1 raises real questions.

A show that tires?

At first, this style of play may surprise, even impress. But the repetition of these ultra-fast exchanges ends up tiring. Padel is also a sport of construction, patience, variations, and this has completely disappeared from the men's table.

However, at the ladiesthese fast tracks with high bounce brought a new, more balanced dynamic. An avenue to explore for the future?

A cascade of surprises

Another direct consequence of these extreme conditions : surprises. Among the gentlemen, rarely has a tournament seen so many seeded players fall. The defeat of Coello / Tapia, although partially justified by the right hand problem of the Argentinian, made an impression. We also saw Bergamini / Paquito Navarro and especially By Nenno / Garrido exit as soon as they enter the lists.

For the ladies, it's the Araujo/Ortega defeat which surprised observers. And if, finally, These surprises were the real good news of this tournament? A reshuffling of the cards, a breath of fresh air on a circuit that is sometimes too predictable.

Ce qui est certain, c'est que The Santiago P1 will not go unnoticed. The players themselves begin to express yourself on social networks, some sharing videos that show how the bounces on the central track are out of the ordinary.

The debate is on. And it's a safe bet thathe won't stop there.

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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