The French Championships of Padel 2019 is approaching and qualifying has already started. Some players who play tennis and padel would like more flexibility to be able to represent a region in the padel and another in tennis. In question: the single license of the FFT which would be too restrictive.

We will try to see more clearly.

Who are we talking to?

We are talking to players:

  • Who play tennis and padel in different clubs.
  • Who play a priori well and even very well tennis and padel.
  • Who have a ranking in tennis that does not allow to transfer easily from one region to another.
  • The club padel and the tennis club of these players are not in the same geographic area.
  • The situation is the same for both partners playing together.

To sum up, 2 partners are in 2 different regions. And none can change region because tennis team matches that block 2 partners to be in the same region to participate in the championships in France that require pairs to be composed of 2 players from the same league .

These tennis players are often paid by tennis clubs to participate in team games. And sometimes, it is a significant sum, even more in the life of an athlete.

We are therefore addressing a small part of the competitors of padel and tennis. But the problem is that sometimes they are regular players in the padel, often well classified and who therefore see their pair broken because of an administrative problem, just for the French championships.

Solutions ?

Some pairs therefore find themselves in a strange situation, since players who play together all year round cannot join forces for the French championships. padel.
The former Finalist of "Little Aces" in Tarbes, Gracia Kika Radovanović is one of those players "frustrated at not being able to play with his partner".
To avoid abuse, it would be enough to offer players who meet specific characteristics such as tennis ranking, professional obligations (team games), "a derogation to allow players to be in two different regions".

To have the choice of his league according to the practiced sport

Gracia is not alone in this situation, many players are in a special situation that allows them to play with their partner.
These players affected by this regulation are surprised not to see “More flexibility, especially since we are talking about 3 different sports since the single license includes 3 sports, tennis, padel and beach tennis".
For this year, it seems compromised. But I hope that the FFT will take a little time to settle this point of the regulation that is not relevant to me and allow players to play in a league according to the sport practiced.
Finally to conclude, Garcia concludes with an interesting argument:

 I can understand that this is a single license. It is a very good thing. But in view of this information, why the federation does not set up a system of exemption from the moment when we live and pay a club to play padel .

I think that many players are in the same situation as me, we win money in tennis for teams, and that blocks us for our evolution in the padel.

It's a shame that I can not participate in the championship with which I train throughout the year. I call on the FFT to look into this little problem that could be very easily solved.

Limits

We fully understand the situation of these tennis players and padel who find themselves having to play everything in one region.

Nevertheless, we certainly see administrative problems that could be problematic.

The first, that of the single license. A license is nominative and is linked to a region. In the general organization, it can raise problems.

Abuses: If the FFT relaxes the rules, some players could divert this regulation.

Informally, here too it is not obvious. The FFT uses software, so we have to rehabilitate all that.

If the idea is good, and the obvious parry with derogations like what is done finally with the assimilations, the most difficult would perhaps be to find the good organization internally for the FFT to allow this kind of solution.

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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