Points and glory: the FIP ranking drives padel champions to the top

Enviable prize money. And the satisfaction and prestige of excelling in stunning venues, such as Roland Garros or Foro Italico. All true, but this season there is an additional motivation pushing padel champions to excel and give their best: the FIP Ranking (International Padel Federation), the ranking that establishes the "hierarchies" of padel and guides the seeding in various tournaments.

The new scoring systems, established by the FIP in collaboration with Premier Padel and CUPRA FIP Tour, and in agreement with the PPA and IPPA, have created more excitement and, why not, fostered a competitive spirit among players. Even the pairs at the starting line of the BNL Italy Major Premier Padel, the second Major of the season scheduled until Sunday in Rome, have emphasized how the ranking is one of the reasons that pushes them to give their best when they step onto the court. There is a desire to excel, and overtakes and counter-overtakes are no longer an exception.

"Surely this is one of the most important tournaments, with many points at stake, and winning here is very valuable not only from a technical point of view," said Ari Sanchez, number 1 in the FIP ranking along with Paula Josemaria (both have 12,270 points), with whom she pairs, on the eve of the tournament at Foro Italico, "So, we will try to get as many points as possible."

The male colleagues are no exception. Just listen to Arturo Coello today, also number 1 in the FIP ranking (with 13,535 points), during the media day organized as part of the BNL Italy Major Premier Padel. "The expectations of Agustin Tapia and I, since we teamed up, have changed," he said, "Now we have to fight in all the tournaments to remain number 1 at the end of the season, and it's not easy at all: 'Chingo' and Galan are doing great things, but also Paquito and Lebron or Yanguas and Garrido are very strong pairs, which is why the points here in Rome are very valuable."

In the Premier Padel circuit, those who triumph in the Majors earn 2,000 points, while in the P1 and P2 tournaments the winning pairs obtain 1,000 and 500 points respectively; this season, the Premier Finals have been added, offering 1,500 points for the winning pair. Another new feature is the possible bonuses: extra points are awarded to those who manage to defeat the best pairs on the circuit. So, 30 extra points for pairs outside the top 8 that manage to defeat one of the top eight seeds in the Major tournaments; 20 extra points for pairs outside the top 8 that manage to defeat one of the top eight seeds in the P1 tournaments; 15 extra points for pairs outside the top 4 that manage to defeat one of the top four seeds in the P2 tournaments. This is the guideline to help lower-ranked players close the gap with the big names.

The 2024 FIP Ranking is composed by considering the 22 best results obtained by the players in the Premier Padel and Cupra FIP Tour tournaments. And it is precisely this last circuit that has seen a significant increase in points awarded: winners in FIP Platinum obtain 250 points (previously 200), in FIP Finals 185, in FIP Gold 125, in FIP Star 62, in FIP Rise 31, and in FIP Promotion 15.

The FIP social media channels periodically publish the pair rankings, obtained by summing the points of the individual players who compose them. This data always generates anticipation and interest, even among the players themselves. As indirectly highlighted by Miguel 'Mike' Yanguas, who this year pairs with Javi Garrido after playing last season with the padel legend, the "Boss" Fernando Belasteguin. "We formed as a pair this year, starting with great ambition: if I'm not mistaken, we started as pair number 10 in the ranking and now we are number 6," he said. "We are definitely happy with our performance."