We must give credit where credit is due. The French Tennis Federation (FFT), with its padel teams that have grown considerably, has managed to stabilize the main elite padel competitions in France. Between the P1000, P1500 and P2000 categories, the FFT has managed to adapt to the development of the discipline and the arrival of many talented players who enrich French padel.

Time has shown that the quality and interest of the events have stabilized, and at a high level.

The P2000: a success

Le P2000 organized at theImpat Stadium de La Rochelle is proof of this. The event was an undeniable success, both in terms of the competition level only by thepublic interest, present from qualifying to the final. Among the gentlemen, the level is particularly high. One thing is certain: it is not because part of the best french players evolve on the FIP Tour them P2000 have lost their appeal. It is even an opportunity for other, less prominent players to shine.

The French champions Bastien Blanqué et Thomas Leygue have however put everyone in agreement last weekend. But the competition is intensifying. Dylan Guichard and Johan Bergeron have managed, at times, to compete with the winners of the FFT Padel Tour La Rochelle. However, a gap persists with the other players. Figures like Adrien Maigret et Jerome Inzerillo showed their tenacity by reaching the semi-finals, a remarkable performance when you look at their journey in this P2000. Promising pairs like Courrin / Seux, Cancel / Coulombeau, Forcin / Rouanet, Dupont-Brimbeuf / Auradou, Lozano / Perez Le Tiec, also show notable progress, contributing to raising the general level.

In the women's category, the situation is more contrasted. The average level remains uneven, with a big difference between the best players and those who struggle to compete. The lack of competition is an important topic of reflection for the development of women's padel.

P1500 and P1000: well-established competitions

The P1500s have become true "super P1000s", offering a solid and adapted competitive structure. The FFT has been able to give meaning to these intermediate tournaments, which now find their place in the French padel ecosystem.

The P1000, long criticized by some players and amateurs, nevertheless retain their appeal. Despite their frequency, they maintain a respectable standing. The emergence of good players in several regions of France allows these competitions to remain interesting. Of course, there are disparities in level according to the leagues, and some tournaments may seem less attractive. However, overall, the P1000 play a key role in revealing promising talents capable of shining in the higher categories. These tournaments are also essential for young players who accumulate experience in a more professional setting than the lower competitions, whose level has slightly dropped due to the influx of new players. This evolution is logical and even beneficial for the overall development of padel.

A need for stability for elite competitions

The various competitions aimed at the best French players finally seem to be achieving a long-awaited stability after many adaptations. This stability is essential to allow elite competitions to structure themselves sustainably.

For the leisure and amateur categories, such as P25 to P500, the FFT must certainly still find the right balance. The explosion in the number of players has led to a logical drop in the average level. Should the P25 and P100 categories be reviewed? Introduce a new intermediate category, such as a P50? Or, on the contrary, avoid multiplying the categories so as not to complicate the readability of the circuit? So many questions that deserve reflection and which we will discuss again soon.

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.

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