The controversy surrounding the  FIP Platinum Tirana  The Albanian tournament continues to generate discussion. It is at the heart of the debates following the participation of some top-ranked players in an event intended to offer opportunities to lower-ranked players.

One of the most discussed cases was that of the Spaniard  Inigo Jofre , ranked 29th in the world, competing alongside the Hong Kong player  Lok Hei Jamie Yau ranked beyond 900th in the world. The difference in skill level displayed on the track quickly fueled criticism on social media, with some denouncing a system that allowed players already well-established in the rankings to benefit from more accessible draws to accumulate FIP points.

When questioned on this subject by Sports world during the Valencia P1,  Franco Stupaczuk  was keen to put the debate back into its historical context.

"Perhaps I should bite my tongue before talking about this subject, but the reality is that it has always existed."

The Argentinian believes that many people forget how the old circuits worked before the arrival of Premier Padel.

"There are people who think that padel was born with Premier Padel and that nothing existed before.

According to him, some of the practices denounced today were already commonplace several years ago.

"There were players who paid other players already qualified in the draws to accumulate points or avoid qualifying. Some players who are now in the top 20 were already doing this kind of thing back then."

Stupa even mentions the existence of agreements between players to facilitate access to the main tables:

“There were arrangements like: ‘I’ll give you the tournament winnings and you’ll help me get directly into the main draw.’”

Without endorsing these methods, the native of Chaco points out that they were part of the professional padel landscape long before the current debates.

"Sometimes it hurt, but that was part of the sport. Many of these players went on to stay at the highest level and build very successful careers."

The Argentinian also adds that at one time, some circuit promoters were also looking to attract players through various means.

"I remember that at one time, someone who wanted to create a circuit would also pay players to participate in the qualifiers."

For Stupaczuk, the difference today is therefore not the existence of these practices, but their media exposure.

"It has always existed. The only difference is that today it has gone viral."

These comments are likely to reignite the debate surrounding the role of FIP tournaments, the distribution of points in the world rankings, and the increasing presence of top pairs in these competitions parallel to the circuit. Premier Padel.

Benjamin Dupouy

I discovered padel directly during a tournament, and frankly, I didn't really like it at first. But the second time, it was love at first sight, and since then, I haven't missed a single match. I'm even ready to stay up until 3am to watch a final of Premier Padel !

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