Fede Chingotto , world number 2 alongside Alejandro Galán , mentioned a radical possibility: eliminating the  heads of series  and introduce a completely random draw in tournaments.

A seemingly simple idea, but one that touches on one of the foundations of modern sport organization.

All it took was one statement in a video by our colleagues from  Twenty Ten Padel , relayed by  Brand , to open up a fundamental discussion on the future of the circuit.

 A full print run to shake up the hierarchy 

In his thinking, the Argentinian envisions a system without any protection linked to the rankings. All pairs would be placed in a single draw, with the possibility of seeing the best teams face each other in the first round.

Today, the functioning of  Premier Padel  based on a classic model: the seeded players are distributed in the draw to avoid early confrontations and guarantee, in theory, major matches at the end of the tournament.

By removing this principle, Chingotto proposes to replace the  chance  at the heart of the competition, with a direct consequence: a  total uncertainty from the very first matches .

 A rare model in elite sport 

While the idea may be appealing due to its spectacular nature, it remains very uncommon in major international disciplines.

In most knockout sports — such as the  tennis ,  badminton  or  table tennis  — Seeded players are essential. They reward consistency and structure the competition according to rankings.

However, some sports offer interesting examples that partially align with Chingotto's vision.

 Examples where chance plays a more significant role 

The most striking example is found in the  Football , particularly in competitions like the  French Cup .

The draw is wide open, with the possibility of seeing an amateur club face a professional team in the early rounds. This format encourages surprises, unexpected runs, and a strong  sporting emotion , even though certain rules sometimes come into play to frame the initial phases.

In  combat sports Like boxing or MMA, there is no traditional bracket with seeded fighters. Matches are organized differently, often based on skill level or opportunity, which introduces a degree of unpredictability, even without a pure draw.

Finally, some tournaments of eSports  Exhibition formats may offer random draws, particularly in the initial phase, before reverting to more structured systems as the competitive stakes increase.

 Towards a hybrid model in padel? 

Between completely free drafting and the current system, an intermediate way could exist.

Some sports have already experimented with hybrid formats, with a reduced number of seeded players or partially random draws. The goal: to maintain a sporting logic while introducing more  show  and  renewal .

Applied to padel, this could be translated as:

  • a reduction in the number of protected pairs
  • or a random draw element from the very first rounds

This could generate unexpected lineups without completely disrupting the global hierarchy.

Chingotto's proposal ultimately raises a central question: what place should be given to merit in a competition versus the pursuit of spectacle?

A full draw would increase the intensity from the start of the tournaments, but could also weaken the logic of the ranking and the readability of the circuit.

For now, this idea remains a reflection expressed in an informal setting. But it highlights a reality: the  professional padel  is still under construction, and its formats are not fixed.

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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