If you padel was part of the Olympic Games, the dynamics of the tournament would be completely different from what we are used to. Indeed, the qualification system for the Olympics would probably resemble that of tennis. For the 32 pairs of men's and women's doubles, the first qualifiers would be the 10 highest ranked players, provided they have a partner from the same country among the first 300 in the ranking. The other places would be distributed according to the partners' combined rankings. The simple format, non-existent in padel, will not be treated here.

The idea of ​​this post is obviously to imagine, to hope and to season it with a little fiction... hoping that the fiction one day becomes a reality.

Major pairs would not qualify

Taking the FIP rankings of August 5, 2024, we see that some of the best players in the world could not claim an Olympic medal. Given the number of Spanish-Argentinian pairs on the circuit Premier Padel, an Olympic tournament could be an opportunity to see new things. Argentina could thus send a Tapia/Chingotto pair to face Coello/Galan from Spain.

The qualification system would also allow Pablo Cardona, only 25th in the world, to accompany Francisco Navarro. The victim of this system would be Juan lebron in person. In Argentina, the Belasteguin/Tello pair would be preferred to Di Nenno and Stupaczuk, the latter being better ranked but subject to the rule which automatically qualifies a player in the top 10 with his partner if it is part of the top 300.

Among the women, the problem arises less, since only Delfina Brea is not Spanish among the members of the top 10. Her partner, Beatriz Gonzalez Fernandez, as well as Marta Ortega, should however give up their place to Claudia Fernandez Sanchez, associated with Gemma Triay.

The usual favorites

Among the men, we notice that Spain and Argentina would be the big favorites for the tournament. Spain would send Cardona/Navarro and Coello/Galan pairs, while Argentina would be represented by Belasteguin/Tello and Tapia/Chingotto.

No surprises among women either. Spain would likely dominate the competition with the best pair in the world and the third most successful player in history. The other regulars would also be present: Argentina, Italy and Portugal should appear at the top of the ranking.

France would play spoilsport. She could position herself in ambush to secure a place in the semi-finals and play the same round in Portugal as during the last European Championships. If the Olympic Games were held in Paris in 2024, a bronze medal would be possible given the performances of French athletes during this Olympiad.

What about mixed doubles?

In mixed doubles, only players already qualified could compete, with only one pair per country. The choices of coaches would play a crucial role depending on the affinities between the players. It would also be possible to consider the presence of replacements in the event of injury. It is thereforehard to predict what the pairs would look like for an event that does not exist on the international circuit. In general, the favorites would probably stay the same.

The table of qualified players

Country1 Player2 Player3 Player4 PlayerAverage ranking
Saudi ArabiaAlshahrani (371)Althagib (381)Alrebdi (387)Alabdullah (399)384,5
ArgentinaTapia (2)Chingotto (4)Belasteguin (9)Tello (17)8
BelgiumGeens (108)Deloyer (188)Peeters (283)Azzola (306)221,25
BrazilBergamini (21)Campagnolo (24)Lime (26)Gomes (128)49,75
ChileValdes (55)Ruiz (80)Molina (198)Martinez (101)133,5
EgyptHossam (178)Wakim (258)Zaghloul (349)Aboulkassem (408)298,25
SpainCoello (1)Galan (3)Navarro (8)Cardona (25)9,25
FranceLeygue (102)Moreau (120)Guichard (123)White (129)118,5
Great BritainMurphy (125)Jones (164)144,5
ItalyPerino (54)Dominguez (61)Patiniotis (71)Iriart (99)71,25
MexicoMontoya (244)Padilla (274)Garcia (283)Hernández (286)271,75
ParaguayDehnike (236)San Martin (371)303,5
NetherlandsRichters (192)Meijer (196)Roper (209)Opstal (311)227
PortugalLuque (88)Mr. Deus (119)Araujo (136)Nunes (141)121
QatarAlkuwari (169)Alhiji (186)Al-Mutawa (214)Al Khanji (223)198
SwedenWindahl (60)Vasquez (107)Olson (203)Axelsson (208)144,5
UruguayRamos (267)From Lizarza (314)290,5
VenezuelaDevletian (416)Almedo (416)416

The table of qualified players

CountryPlayer 1Player 2Player 3Player 4Average ranking
GermanyHoefer (155)Kurz (155)155
ArgentinaBrea (4)Jensen Sirvent (12)Riera (14)Osoro Ulrich (17)11,75
BelgiumWyckaert (93)Mestach (172)Boeykens (190)Bernard (227)170,5
BrazilSchuck Silva (63)Piltcher (73)Abbud De Barros (223)Lenz (223)145,5
ChileRoux Vidal (150)Mining (150)Koch Benvenuto (210)Arancibia (213)180,75
DenmarkWiese (266)Rasmussen (266)266
EgyptEl Halaby (235)El Nimr (235)235
United Arab EmiratesAlawadhi (266)Taher (266)266
Grande BretagneGibson (146)Norton (148)Pink (170)Phillips (176)160
SpainSanchez (1)Josemaria (1)Triay (3)Fernandez Sanchez (7)3
FinlandSillanpää (227)Saarteinen (227)227
FranceCollombon (29)Godallier (59)Touly (100)Ginier Barbier (113)75,25
ItalyOrsi (26)Marchetti (55)Casale (60)Vano Martin (61)50,5
MexicoRamme Coellar (123)Cabrejas Ruiz (141)Crown (165)Salazar Morales (165)148,5
NetherlandsKoek (77)Weterings (91)Van der Hoek (119)Betz (137)106
PortugalAraujo (11)Nogueira (30)Ribeiro (71)Santos Domingos (103)53,75
RussiaSharifova (27)Neizvestnaya (184)105,5
SwedenNavarro Bjork (45)Girdo (106)Behram (246)Bjork (254)162,75
VenezuelaPerez Torres (176)Chejin (277)Barreto (277)Osso (277)251,75
Matthias Héjja-Brichard

Fan of padel, I offer you my expertise and my passion. See you soon on the slopes!

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