The fastest growing sport in the world, is padel becoming a modern-day "golden goose"?

The question is worth asking when we see the failed pustch attempt led by ITF(International Tennis Federation), aiming to seize the governance of world padel. The plot was certainly too big and quickly sparked a wave of protest from the professional players and legitimate federation for more than 30 years, the FIP.

Scathing disavowal for the ITF

In order not to create an open war, the presidents of the national tennis federations – even those in charge of padel in their country – have therefore disavowed the American president of the ITF in a scathing manner.

But beyond this episode, padel appears today as a new Eldorado, this mythical region of South America where the conquistadors hoped to find their fortune.

The war of the professional circuits is only one illustration of this rush where everyone competes in strategy – and sometimes in underhanded tricks – to get the best deal and ruin their competitors. To the overly obvious tactic of the pustch, others prefer that of the Trojan horse: introducing themselves with dollars into the heart of the governing bodies of world padel and seducing the best players with tickets… or promises.

Padel gold is not for sale

What is true at the international level is also sometimes true at the national level. Testifies to it the Belgian case : a country of 11 million inhabitants where four federations once coexisted! In the north, the tennis federation won the war and supplanted the padel federation; in the French-speaking south, two federations are still competing to win the Holy Grail: exclusivity of padel…

But be careful, because, as in “The Goose that Lays the Golden Egg”, too much greed ends up drying up the source of wealth. In his fable, La Fontaine tells us how an impatient farmer, hoping to find treasure in the entrails of his hen, disembowels her instead of waiting for her to lay her golden eggs. But inside his dead hen, he finds only flesh...

The gold of padel is its players, its leaders, its enthusiasts, all over the world. Their passion belongs only to them and cannot be bought. The spectacle of greedy sharks killing each other only ruins our sport. And it gives... goosebumps!

More and more padel enthusiasts are not for sale

After 40 years of tennis, Jérôme fell into the padel pot in 2018. Since then, he thinks about it every morning while shaving… but never shaves with a pala in hand! A journalist in Alsace, his only ambition is to share his passion with you, whether you speak French, Italian, Spanish or English.

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