The French Tennis Federation will propose an update of its rules of padel for the next school year. Focus on what you need to know for the next competitions of padel :

Game formats

From the 2017 sports year, 5 game formats will be usable for the Padel  :

Long formats:

1 format: 2 sets to 6 games (traditional format)

2 format: 2 sets to 6 games, 3nd set = SJD (Super decisive game) at 10 points

3 format: 2 sets to 6 games, no ad, 3nd set = SJD to 10 points

Short formats:

4 format: 2 sets to 4 games, no ad, decisive game to 3 / 3, 3nd set = SJD to 10 points

5 format: 1 set to 9 games, no ad, decisive game to 7 points to 8 / 8

This range of formats will allow each tournament organizer to adapt the competition according to the number of participants and the number of courts available. The organizer also has the possibility to change the format during the tournament and thus propose a longer format for the matches of the final table.

Number of matches per day

The precise rules will be communicated for the 2017 sports year, however, it is already possible to note that a player may play a maximum number of games, per day, depending on the game format or formats used.

Tournament categories

A little under the same format as the International Federation of padel with its categories, the FFT wanted to create a hierarchy of tournaments and thus offer competitors and organizers greater possibilities.

Starting from the 2017 sports year, 4 tournament categories will be determined according to the prize money awarded by event.

  • P100 (Padel 100): prize-money from 0 to 249 €. 4 teams minimum.
  • P250 (Padel 250): prize-money of € 250 to € 499. 4 teams minimum.
  • P500 (Padel 500): prize-money of € 500 to € 999. 8 teams minimum.
  • P1000 (Padel 1000): prize-money of 1000 € or more. 16 teams minimum, selected thanks to the ranking.

A JAT1 qualifying referee for a tournament

The large number of JAT1 qualifying referees on the territory will allow any club that wishes to organize a Padel, to do. The JAT1 being perfectly suited to lead this competition.

The championships of France will also evolve

The regional phase will qualify 2 teams (finalist and winner) for the qualifying phase. It will be framed by a minimum JAT1. This championship will be counted for the ranking as a P500 tournament.

The interregional phase will bring together, most often 3 leagues. It will be supervised by a JAT1. The format used will be 2 pools of 3 players. The interregional phase will qualify 2 teams (finalist and winner) for the final of the French championships. This championship will be counted for the ranking as a P1000 tournament.

The final phase will bring together 16 men's and women's teams. The final phase will be counted for the classification as a P1000 tournament with application of a coefficient of 2. This year the final phase of the French championship will take place in the League of Flanders in Padel Attitude from October 14 to 16, 2016.

The French championship is made up of these 3 phases. The interregional phases will take place on the weekend of September 24 and 25. The groups of the interregional phases have not yet been formed, they will be formed by the FFT once the interregional phases are completed.

All these developments are going in the right direction, the development of Padel across the country.

Franck Binisti

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.