Premier Padel has reportedly sent legal letters to its players in response to their proposed boycott of next week’s P2 tournament in Spain.
The 50 best male players in the world rankings have not yet entered next week’s Premier Padel P2 event in Gijon in what is an apparent show of support for lower-ranked players who, it’s claimed, will be negatively impacted by changes to the distribution of ranking points and smaller main draws.
Reduced main draws in Premier Padel competitions in 2025 mean more players have to go through qualifying, which have been extended from two to three rounds. However, there will be no ranking points for pairs eliminated from the first round of qualifying.
This means that players in and around the bottom half of the world’s top 100 are in danger of gaining nothing – in fact potentially losing money – by travelling and playing in the events.
Leading players are said to have gathered at the opening Premier Padel event of the season in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this week and agreed to boycott the next event in protest.
Madrid-based sports website Relevo reports that Premier Padel has responded with force, sending a letter to players via its law firm explaining the possible legal consequences of their actions and stating that the “damage” caused by the Gijon boycott “will be dramatic.”
The letter reportedly stated: “A collective veto of all players to a tournament is something very serious and that has no comparable in any other professional sport… no-one from the players’ association has formally addressed the circuit to inform us of anything, not even to confirm if there is any specific aspect that has generated your veto. If you go ahead with the veto, the damage will be dramatic.”
Namechecking the circuit’s sponsors Red Bull, Qatar Airways, Bullpadel and Cupra, the letter continued: “We are prepared to use all necessary resources to vigorously defend our rights with all legal knowledge. The damage generated by your action will go beyond the strictly economic, but will generate a feeling of lack of confidence not [just] in the Tour but in padel in general and in all of us.”
Premier Padel claim that the changes made to the points allocation and draw sizes were agreed with players’ representative body, the Padel Players Association, and that they have evidence to prove it. “The decision of the collective veto is a legal, commercial and sporting error that will generate serious consequences for everyone,” the letter concludes.
The players have until Friday (21 February) to register for the Premier Padel P2 in Gijón, which runs from February 26 to March 2.
One potential consequence of it becoming more difficult for lower-ranked players to qualify for Premier Padel events is for them to drop down to play more often in the top echelons of the FIP Tour. This could have a knock-on effect on players at that level, including the top Brits, who will be less likely to reach the latter stages of FIP events thanks to Premier Padel-standard players lurking in the draw.
Sam Jones, the British no.2, is one of those players who could be affected. Before news broke about the reported player boycott, he told The Padel Paper: “I’m hoping the Premier players stick to their own tour, because they don’t need to play in the FIPs.
“The Premier Padel main draws are now smaller and they’ve made qualifying even tougher, so it’s going to be very challenging for players to get into that top level. Even though they have raised the points for reaching the main draw, for those not getting in, it really separates them from us.
“If you’re already in, it’s amazing for you, because you’re guaranteed more points, but if you’re on the fringes, you’ve got to work double hard to break through. It’s tough, but no-one said it would be easy.”
Sam, currently world no.193, offered an insight into the way of life for players operating at the FIP Gold, Silver and Bronze level.
“Even if you’re 80th or 90th in the world, you can plan your entire calendar around the Premier Padel events, and add FIP and other events in as you go. For the rest of us, it’s more difficult,” he stated.
“You’ve got to wait until the last moment to enter tournaments because pairs sign up for six tournaments in the same weekend and drop out in the last 48 hours. It makes it a nightmare. It’s not easy at all for the non-Premier Padel players. We’re trying to find the best flight and hotel deals and refreshing the entry list right up to the deadline. It’s all part of the experience at this level.”
Main pic: Silvestre Szpylma / @silvestreszpylma
