The continuous changes of partners are part of the game, but not all padel players react to these situations in the same way. Some show a more individualistic approach, as if it were not a team sport in all respects; others have a different sensitivity and would perhaps like to set up a medium-long term project working together even in the most difficult phases. They do not fully accept starting over every two months if things go well, and every two weeks if things go badly. As you go down into the ‘belly’ of the Top 100, the whirlwind of changes and dances increases exponentially, and not everyone can accept the volatility of the various partners they find themselves alongside. Gonzalo Rubio, currently ranked 41st, definitely falls into this second group. Recently, the Spaniard had started playing with the Italian Alvaro Montiel, but the collaboration lasted only for two tournaments and three matches: the P1 in Madrid and the Major in Paris. Then Montiel decided to separate and look for new paths, and the decision of the Italo-Spanish player triggered a small outburst from Rubio on Instagram.
“Padel wants to be Olympic. Let’s be honest: we are not yet a serious sport. I write this with respect and with a purely constructive intent. My partner decided, after two tournaments, to play the next one with another player. It is a completely legitimate decision, and it does not concern him: it concerns the regulatory framework that allows it. Today the rules allow everything. Every time the “projects” — to call them in some way — last less and less. Tournament after tournament, change of partners”.
“The enthusiast who buys a ticket or tries to follow the professional circuit deserves to identify with couples that consolidate and acquire an identity over time. Coaches deserve to be able to plan. We players deserve to work with a coherent and dignified horizon. Sponsors deserve to know which project they are linking to. For years it has been justified by saying that changes were the “gossip”, what sold to the media. Honestly, I believe we have reached a point where it is not even like that anymore: by constantly making changes, the news has ceased to be news. That’s why I share it here, hoping it reaches far”.
Then Rubio directly addresses the Federation, asking for a change in the rules. “I believe and hope that together with the Federation we can build a solid regulation that consistently determines a limit to partner changes per season, looking ahead to 2027. Not to prohibit: to bring order. A framework that can benefit the entire ecosystem — fans, organizers, sponsors, coaches, and players — and allow us to work in a more sensible and dignified way. Let it be clear: this is self-reflection, not a reproach to anyone. I do it from within, as a player, with the sole aim of building, all together, a more serious and better regulated sport.Let’s hope that one day we will stop repeating that padel is an individual sport played in pairs. That we can say that here the best player does not win: the best couple wins”.
