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What is a padel tournament?
Padel is a sport that is growing more and more around the world, especially in France. And like any sport whose popularity is rising, it needs events to bring people together, have them compete and share a moment together. Padel tournaments are therefore the ideal events to organise, often in padel clubs. A tournament means padel rankings and, above all, tournament categories. The aim is to divide participants so that tournaments are as balanced as possible. Several tournament categories are therefore created so that all players can play:
- Tournaments for intermediate players: P25 and P100.
- Tournaments for advanced players: P250 and P500
- Tournaments for expert players: P1000, P1500 and P2000
The number following the letter indicates the number of points the winners earn by finishing first. The other participants also earn a total number of points depending on the position in which they finish. These points allow them to move up the rankings and take part in more important tournaments.
Every club can organise a padel tournament on its courts, provided it has good organisation and enough competitors available. However, for the points won to count towards the players' rankings, the tournament must be approved by the FFT. In addition, a referee must be present throughout the tournament. Some small clubs sometimes struggle to organise tournaments and turn to larger venues nearby. For a tournament to be approved, the venue must meet official criteria, such as the size of the padel court, for example.
How do you take part in a padel tournament?
To take part in a padel tournament, there are several requirements to meet. First of all, playing level. To start playing tournaments, including P25s, depending on each club's rankings, you need to be between padel levels 4, 4.5 or even 5 in some regions. Indeed, beginners are considered not to have enough padel experience to compete in an official tournament. Instead, unofficial events are preferred, such as the promotion-relegation events, for example, often organised by some venues.
Another requirement for taking part in an official padel tournament is a padel licence. Available on the FFT website, through your club or a referee, it is essential for being entered into the federation's database and therefore appearing in the French rankings. It costs just €20, and as an added bonus, if you already have an FFT tennis licence, you are already registered and do not need to pay extra.
What are the rules of a padel tournament?
Most tournaments are held in the traditional format, with a draw and têtes de série. The idea is to avoid having the best paires in the tournament face each other in the first round. Then, the first-round losers play each other (as do the winners) to ultimately determine a final ranking in order to distribute points progressively. All players play the same number of matches, a very important criterion to avoid disappointing anyone.
For P25s, the tournament structure is sometimes different: an initial phase where 5 to 6 pairs are placed in a group and play each other in 10-point super tie-breaks to determine the group order. Then, the teams are placed into 3 different draws according to their group ranking to compete for tournament places, generally with 3 matches of 4 games each. In the example below, the tournament is played with 24 pairs, meaning 4 groups of 6. This makes it possible to rotate more quickly and allows players to play against as many pairs as possible.
What equipment is needed for a padel tournament?
To take part in a padel tournament, no padel equipment is necessary apart from having a padel racket. However, many products can help you perform better and give you a better chance of winning the tournament. Having suitable padel clothing often helps, particularly with sweat wicking, throughout your tournament. Padel accessories can also help you with sweating, during hot summer tournaments. Caps, sweatbands or headbands are often favoured by players for their tournaments.
Padel shoes are also essential for a good tournament. Firstly, for greater comfort, with brands that multiply technologies for exceptional lightness. But padel shoes are also designed to provide significant support to prevent twists and injuries.
