Le padel professional has experienced a real upheaval in recent months. While the World Padel Tour seemed to have an almost unassailable monopoly on the padel professional, the International Federation of Padel (FIP), the Association of Professional Players of padel (PPA) and Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) have done the unthinkable: create another professional circuit of padel.

For the member countries of the FIP, it was very fast, creating a certain instability hence the understandable caution of the current President of the French Tennis Federation Gilles Moretton on the continuation of events in France.

The FFT wishes a great event of padel at Roland-Garros, she never hid it. With which organization? From 2022?

It's necessary "professionalism in padel"

For now, there is still instability and uncertainty about what will happen next. Two opposing currents. On the one hand, the pros World Padel Tour who believe that the FIP / QSI cannot offer a second professional circuit because professional players have a commitment to the WPT. On the other hand, the FIP / QSI / PPA association which, despite threats from the WPT, created this new professional circuit (Premier Padel) which will be launched at the end of March in Qatar with a prize-money up to five times higher than the WPT.

Gilles Moretton explains it perfectly:

“There are several trends in the padel. We, as a Federation, hope for a clarification of professionalization in the padel for everyone's benefit.”

“Becoming a major player in the padel"

The FFT is ambitious. She wants to offer a major event and take advantage of Roland-Garros to propel the padel towards the peaks.

She is already thinkingready“. But with the latest news, the FFT is cautious and does not want to be wrong. “We are very interested in Roland-Garros to become a major player in the padel in the years to come" comments Gilles Moretton.

Du World Padel Tour toward Premier Padel

Initially, a major stage of World Padel Tour seemed to be able to be done at Roland-Garros. But with the arrival of QSI, and the equally sudden change of course of the FIP, the cards have been completely reshuffled, putting the WPT in a very delicate position.

The FFT might want to turn to Premier Padel (PP) to the detriment of the WPT for a very simple reason: PP is the circuit supported by the FIP. The analysis of the president of the FFT is implacable:

“We will be more on the side of an International Federation than a private circuit”

“Avoid people getting lost”

The FFT is a very special federation in the world of padel. If his story in the padel still very recent, the French Tennis Federation is structurally a titan in the padel.

His voice carries and his great expertise in the professional world is unique. Who can boast of saying as much in the padel among the other federations?

Thus for the president of the FFT, “Things have to be clear for everyone: a single classification, a single circuit, a single way of registering and preventing people from getting lost and the padel lose it.”

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovers the padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since padel is part of his life. You often see him touring France going to cover the major events of padel French.

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