As padel continues to grow in France, certain tournament categories are encountering increasing difficulties, according to the padel manager of TC Baillargues.  P500 and P1000 , long considered pillars of federal competition, “are now becoming more complex to organize, or even to fulfill".  Jeff Planchais , padel teacher at  TC Baillargues , a well-known figure on the circuit and responsible for the development of his club's padel section, explains it to us.

 Unbalanced tournaments, a system under pressure 

According to the old French top 100, the  level differences between two P500s can be considerable . "Today, making a P500 doesn't mean much anymore. There are so many tournaments going on in parallel that the players are spread out everywhere. Some P500s are surprisingly weak, and sometimes others are extremely strong with top players who invite themselves, which ends up scaring off other pairs."

La  proliferation of registrations then last-minute cancellations  exacerbates the effects. "Many players register for several tournaments at once, then cancel depending on what suits them. It has become unmanageable for organizers."

 A system to be reviewed? 

Jeff Planchais is concerned about a logic where  the best players stick together , without the possibility for others to progress. "When you're in the top 50, you already have points, you can easily line up for big tournaments. You play between 'top', you make 8th or quarter-finals right from the start, you take points, even without big results... and you stay at the top of the ranking. Those who drop out are those who stop playing."

It offers a  reflection on the formats and the framework of the categories , especially for the P500s. "Perhaps we should limit the number of tournament participations for pairs that win too often. And find a balance in the levels. At one time, the symbolic prize money of the P500s served as a small filter: we thought before organizing a P500. It was a level between P250 and P500. Now, we're losing it."

 Towards a new logic for the P1000? 

Another concern, according to Jeff: the management of the P1000, now under the responsibility of the leagues. "This category worked very well: it had its audience, its players, its level. But if we end up with more than two or three P1000 per week, we risk destroying this balance. We must be careful not to devalue a category that represented a real milestone for improving players."

And more generally, Jeff Planchais insists on the need to  reassess the distribution of points awarded  in the various tournaments. "We need to promote participation in competitions like the P1000 and beyond more. To give a concrete example, I obtained  fewer points for finishing 9th in a P1000  that a player who won a P500… This is not normal!”

This situation calls into question “the interest of some players in engaging in more competitive tournaments.”

Furthermore, he calls for a  better regulation of approvals , in order to avoid holding  two or three large simultaneous tournaments within short geographical distance , which harms the readability of the calendar and weakens the density of the tables.

An opinion ?

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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