A regular qualifier on the circuit  Premier Padel ,  Marc Quílez  He knows the realities of top-level competition perfectly. Present this week at  Pretoria P1 The Catalan took advantage of an express qualification to make a frank assessment of the difficulties of the circuit: distribution of points, calendar, cost of travel and lack of dialogue between players and governing bodies.

 A qualification without any real opposition 

In Pretoria, Marc Quílez and his partner  Fede Mourino  secured their place in the main draw in less than an hour. An unusual situation, made possible by the presence of South African pairs still far from international level.

The Catalan makes no secret of the fact that this situation made his task easier.

"I wish all qualifying rounds would go like this."

But behind this personal satisfaction, he acknowledges that this type of poster does not necessarily serve the image of professional padel.

“Personally, it benefits me, but if you think about the development of the sport, it doesn't do it any favors. When you go to countries where padel is still emerging, the local players are far from the professional level. Seeing matches end 6-0, 6-0 in twenty minutes gives a bad image of our sport.”

 "The points system is the real problem." 

For Quílez, these unbalanced qualifications are just a consequence of a deeper problem: the current functioning of the ranking.

According to him, many players today prefer to focus on tournaments.  FIP  rather than competing in the qualifiers Premier Padel.

"The points system is the problem. A player would rather go and play in a FIP Silver tournament in Portugal than qualify for a..." Premier Padel in South Africa, because he can earn more points there while spending much less.

The Spanish player even cites a study which, according to him, illustrates this inconsistency.

"There is a study showing that a player who only wins FIP tournaments during a season would finish around 40th in the world rankings. This clearly shows that there is a problem."

 A ranking that no longer always reflects reality 

Marc Quílez does not criticize players for favouring the FIP circuit. On the contrary, he believes that the system encourages them to do so.

For him, the natural objective of a professional should be to compete against the best on the circuit. Premier Padel.

"A player's ambition should be to compete on the professional circuit and test themselves against the best in the world. If another circuit offers more points at a lower cost, why choose Premier Padel ? "

In his view, this situation also ends up distorting the world hierarchy, with some players accumulating more points on the FIP circuit than others competing on Premier Padel.

Sofía Saiz denounces the limitations of the system Premier Padel "I can't find a way to continue."

 Premier Padel remains the reference 

Despite these criticisms, Quílez continues to favor Premier Padel.

He believes that the organizational conditions there are far superior to those encountered at some FIP tournaments.

"I prefer to be at peace knowing that, when I play a tournament Premier PadelThe conditions will be good and the level of professional players will be showcased.

Conversely, he believes that some FIP tournaments are played in conditions that "leave much to be desired".

 Costs that are becoming increasingly difficult to absorb 

Beyond the rankings, the Spanish player is also concerned about the economic viability of the circuit.

According to him, organizers are still struggling to make their events profitable, while players have to deal with ever more frequent and longer trips.

"Today, tournament promoters are not profitable. We should all think about how to make tournaments economically viable."

He even believes that the situation of players ranked around 100th in the world is more complicated than it was three years ago.

"We are travelling more, to more distant destinations, and fewer and fewer players can afford these expenses."

 A worrying lack of dialogue 

While Premier Padel Quílez plans to revise its points system from 2027, and hopes these changes will help to rebalance the situation.

But he believes the main obstacle lies elsewhere.

"We have a problem. First, because the players are unable to agree among themselves. Second, because the relationship between the tour and the players is practically non-existent."

The Catalan concluded with clarity on the difficulties in the locker room.

"Everyone looks out for their own interests. We're very individualistic, and that makes things complicated."

Maceo ZERHAT

Maceo Zerhat discovered padel in 2020 in Savigny-sur-Clairis, Burgundy. He contributed to the club's expansion by bringing his energy and curiosity. Padel Magazinehe transmits his Padel"mania" by skillfully bouncing on all the latest news about your favorite sport!

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