[box type = ”info”] Jean-François Cadiou, the former professional squash player (French N ° 10 and world N ° 97), the enthusiast and player of padel, wanted to propose his ideas to improve according to him “how to compete padel in France".[/box]

Everyone agrees on one point: padel is THE racket sport of the future in France.

More and more clubs are emerging, more and more players are discovering this great sport, accessible to all.

However, competitions are multiplying in a somewhat anarchic way with often inconsistent formulas.

“We must avoid the squash-type syndrome”

If the FFT wants to avoid a squash-type syndrome – only 10% of practitioners are fired…- it must urgently look into the organization of tournaments and ask the right questions:

– set up series like in tennis. This would 'compartmentalize' tournaments and ensure that everyone has a chance. Today we find top-level players in P100s or P250s… Starting a tournament knowing that we have no chance of winning or worse of getting out of a group is not necessarily motivating!

– assimilate tennis players, see squash. A 2nd series of tennis – current or former – will necessarily have a level of padel far superior to a neophyte or a 4th series. Ditto for a 1st series of squash. Today we see very good players start pool tournaments and win matches 6/0 6/1 against people who we risk being put off by the competition, what's the point?

– create age categories. Unthinkable not to have French championships over 40 and over 50, for example. It's always nice and friendly to fit into your category when you start to get older… And that exists in all the other sports.

“+ communication + marketing around the padel"

– reduce the price of tournament registration for young people. 20 or 25€ is too much for a school or a student.

– in large tournaments such as P1000 or even P500, equip all participants with a cap or a T-shirt for example. It's systematic in running, and indirectly it promotes the sport in question.

– ensure that prize money is increased so that top-level players can make a decent living from their passion. This already requires better communication, in my region for example the padel is absent in the regional press, which is not normal. Attracting serious sponsors already requires making our sport known. It is also necessary to rely on enthusiasts with professional networks to canvass occasional partners or wishing to commit to the long term.

These few ideas are lines of thought which I hope will open the debate, fans of padel express yourself!

Finally, I would end with a word about Fabrice Pastor, whose situation vis-à-vis the WPT is symptomatic. When you are lucky enough to have people ready to invest in the development of a sport, whether the commitment is in terms of time or money, you have to help them rather than show jealousy. Alone we go faster, together we go further...

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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