Le personalised tour Premier Padel is going through a period of turbulence. While the spectacle remains present, a growing weariness is affecting the spectators. Franck Binisti's editorial sounds the alarm: without a quick response, the professional circuit could see some of its fans turn away.

Too uniform decor

From one tournament to the next, the same images prevail. A blue slope, a dark environment, a few lights that occasionally pierce the darkness... While this setting was initially appealing, it eventually becomes tiresome. The visual magic wears thin and gives a feeling of constant repetition.

Matches without any real stakes

Beyond aesthetics, it is the sporting rhythm which raises questions. Too many matches feel like formalities, with too great a gap in skill between the pairs. The result: little suspense, little fighting spirit, and a feeling of matches played "without any real stakes."

Rethinking the format?

The question arises: should the system be reinvented? Introduce bonuses to encourage outsiders to excel? Consider a format that promotes greater balance between pairs?
Le NOAD – removing the advantage score – appears to be a solution to speed up games and create tension at key moments. A rule criticized by some, but which has the merit of reviving interest.

This observation isn't limited to the Rotterdam tournament. It affects professional padel as a whole. The circuit remains largely dominated by the Spanish and Argentinian players. As long as diversity doesn't emerge, and if boredom sets in, the risk of disaffection is real.

Players in search of balance

In the men's competition, many pairs split up and reformed in an attempt to break the momentum of the favorites. This instability may be perceived as a lack of continuity, but it mostly reflects a sincere desire among the players to bring some suspense back to the circuit.

In the women's competition, however, the situation is even more brutal: quick quarter-finals, with no surprises, and a gap that is too great between the top of the table and the rest of the circuit. And it must be said, things are moving much less than in the men's competition, and that's a shame.

A call to action

The message is clear: it is urgent that the authorities take their responsibilitiesAdapting regulations, daring to make format changes, modernizing the staging... so many avenues to explore to revive public interest.
Because if professional padel starts to get boring, the backlash could be severe for this growing sport.

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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