Since the beginning of the year, good news for many players of padel. They can participate in men's tournaments up to P500 category tournaments.

However, clubs and players are wondering if it's the end of the women's tournaments. We will try to see more clearly.

Reasons for updating for women

For several years, many players have asked the FFT to be authorized to participate in men's tournaments. padel. The reasons given are understandable.

According to them, there are not enough ladies' tournaments, especially for the most competitive, the most invested in the padel and who need matches to evolve on the international scene.

Other reasons, there are not so many players for the moment with huge differences in level in the French top 50 / French top 100, etc.

Conclusion, it demotivates to the point that players invest less in the padel because they don't want “playing the same players for the umpteenth time, some of whom live next door ”.

The FFT therefore responded favorably to this request, aligning itself in passing with the reasoning of the Squash Federation which is faced with the same problem among girls.

An update for the French elite

Don't panic, the ladies tournaments will continue. This update especially allows the best French players (But not only!) To be able to play with boys and thus develop their game.

Last weekend, for example, we saw the pair Vandaele / Invernon participate in the Sète Open Padel Club (P250). “it's going faster, the game is obviously different from girls, it's very good for us. This allows us to improve and play other types of gamesThey explain.

A priori, it is a success! We have seen many girls participate in men's events since the start of the year. However: We observe that it is players of a confirmed level most often who participate in these men's tournaments. We also see mixed pairs forming.

Those who are just starting out and embarking on padel continue to participate in the ladies' events of course.

Future of ladies tournaments

Ladies' tournaments are very rarely filled. And it has always been complicated for a club padel to make a relatively interesting ladies' tournament for all the players with a sufficiently large table.

If these trials continue to persist. This allows the girls to be able to try their luck also in the men's events. Besides, we have the impression that there is a positive effect of this update on the women's tournaments. Being able to participate in men's tournaments motivates players to come to the women's tournament too.

The problem for clubs is therefore to combine the two events for girls, especially with the regulation of rest time, it will not be obvious every day.

But anyway, this update is very interesting for girls and will allow some to continue their beautiful evolution in the middle of the padel and maybe to be even more competitive on the international stage for others.

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.

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