This is an announcement that will have the effect of a bomb in the world of padel: the International Tennis Federation (ITF) wants to take the reins of international padel, and this at the expense of the International Federation of Padel (FIP). Through 3 acts, we will try to explain everything to you about this unusual situation and this war which is looming between the FIP and the ITF.
ACT I – Padel now a priority for…the ITF?
As you can imagine, this climate of strong tension between the International Federation of Padel and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) started from a trigger. And to tell you the truth, it's not just any. Let's re-contextualize that.
In its annual report which will be presented on November 14, theITF has clearly stated that its role is “to act in the interests of its members”. However, she also adds that at least 25 of the federations under her supervision also govern padel in their countries and above all that apparently “At least 15 of them have expressed their desire to see the ITF take leadership in the world of padel”. A rather interesting and relatively surprising statistic when we know that all the federations in question are also members of the FIP. But it does not stop there.
Still in its principle of “acting in the interest of its members”, the ITF announces that it wishes to create an environment of harmonious development between padel and tennis, that it wants to create a competition structure open to all ITF member states and above all, and this is where it interests us: She wants there to be just one governing body for the member national tennis associations who are also responsible for padel in their country.In other words, the ITF wants to position itself as the sole and unique governing organization of padel, replacing the FIP already in place in the world of padel.
Of course, all these declarations are accompanied by a well-crafted plan. The ITF announces in black and white that it wants to include padel in its scope of action and as a governing body, it intends to harmonize rules, promote the growth and development of padel, defend the interests of padel and promote its integrity and reputation.
Measures which strangely seem to echo the general priorities set by Luigi Carraro and the FIP. And to sow even more divisiveness, it is also stated within the report that “National Associations members of the ITF which are also members of the FIP may maintain their membership of the FIP”.
Very good, but what would be the role of the FIP if now there was only one regulatory body (in this case the ITF), and that the latter took over absolutely all the powers of the FIP?
ACT II – The FIP strikes back
Alerted by this bomb dropped by the ITF, Luigi Carraro and FIP wasted no time in responding.
Writing a letter to all ITF members, Luigi Carraro wanted to put things into context by recalling everything that the FIP has done since its creation 31 years ago. In particular, he recalled that the FIP had organized 16 editions of the World Padel Championships, 13 editions of the Junior World Championships, 14 editions of the European Championships, etc., and all this while specifying the action of the FIP with the various sponsors, its activity on the five continents and the fact that it is undoubtedly involved in the “exponential” development that padel is currently experiencing.
In the same letter, he condemned the future intentions of the ITF with regard to padel and took the opportunity to severely tackle the ITF by stipulating that over the 31 years of existence of this sport: “The ITF had never had any involvement in padel, either as a tournament organizer or as a regulatory body.“. A strong announcement from the president of the FIP who wants to highlight the fact that the ITF probably wants to take padel in order to “control its development”.
Carraro added: "If the ITF declares itself as the regulatory body for padel in the world, we are ready to provide legal documents proving the illegality of this action", and he went on to say that the action of the ITF “would go against the Olympic charter and the code of ethics of the Olympic committee”.
By analyzing the content of this letter, we can therefore realize that as expected, the FIP does not intend to let things go. By sending a letter directly to all the member states of the ITF, precisely before this ITF meeting on Monday 14 November, the purpose of which is to take up the elements of the report that we have deciphered for you, it is a way for the FIP to put pressure on the ITF. She intends to take the lead in this affair, so as not to find herself trapped by the International Tennis Federation.
That is why, in addition to this letter from Luigi Carraro, a legal action before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne has been brought by the FIP against the ITF.
ACT III – What leeway for the FIP?
If the FIP has taken the initiative to refer this case to the courts, it is because it now has its back against the wall. Why ? Quite simply because if it is true that theITF has more than 15 of its members who are already "for" it to become the number 1 body in padel, and especially since there are powerful nations behind it, the FIP clearly has cause for concern.
Furthermore, we must not forget that national tennis federations govern padel in many countries, such as France or Italy for example. This means that these federations are automatically “under the control” of the ITF, and that the FIP has very little leeway vis-à-vis them.
So how to interpret this case?
Could this be a real “admission of weakness” on the part of the governing bodies of the tennis world, who see their discipline (tennis) in the trough of the wave and who on the contrary are in the front row to observe the rise of padel? Or is it a real desire to legislate and structure padel in the best possible way in order to perpetuate its development?
Many questions that remain unanswered at this time, but that risk shaking the world of padel in the days, weeks and months to come. Beyond this particularly unprecedented situation, we can wonder about the impact that there could be in the event of a change (or not) of the regulatory body of padel and the impact that this could have on its development on a global scale.
Who will have the last word, the ITF or the FIP?
Stay tuned…
Passionate about football, I discovered padel in 2019. Since then, I have been crazy in love with this sport to the point of abandoning my favorite sport.