Alex Ruiz says men’s padel is stronger, but points system is flawed
Alex Ruiz, now ranked No. 21, argued that his best padel may be behind him on paper and better in practice. The former world No. 7 said he feels stronger mentally, physically and technically than he did when he sat inside the top seven, but believes the ranking table and draw structure can hide that progress by sending lower-seeded players into dangerous matchups much earlier.
Ruiz’s point is blunt: once a player drops outside the top tier, the draw changes shape fast. Instead of building through early rounds, he said, a player is more likely to run into a seeded opponent before the latter stages, which makes round-of-16 exits more common and can make an in-form player look more ordinary than he is. In Ruiz’s telling, men’s padel has improved across the board, but the system has not kept pace with the level of the athletes inside it.
That rise in depth is part of why his criticism landed so sharply. Ruiz said younger players are arriving more professional, more ambitious and more complete than earlier generations, which has raised the standard across the circuit. At the same time, he said, the current points structure is steering top names toward FIP events in search of ranking rewards, a trend he sees as unhealthy for Premier Padel’s growth. If highly ranked players are bypassing the main tour to chase points elsewhere, he argued, the system itself needs to change.
The broader tour is already in motion. Premier Padel and the International Padel Federation said in May 2026 that they had updated the calendar to rebalance ranking points and prize money, and on 10 June 2026 they laid out proposed 2027 changes aimed at player welfare and sustainable growth. Those proposals included trimming ranking-counting tournaments from 22 to 21 and increasing FIP ranking points in the opening rounds of Premier Padel events. Premier Padel said the plans were presented to 20 representatives from 11 stakeholder groups, underlining how the debate has moved from locker-room frustration to formal governance.
Premier Padel, founded by Qatar Sports Investments, the International Padel Federation and the Professional Padel Association, has also already conceded on another flashpoint. After repeated criticism from men’s players over 2025 draw sizes, it said it would revert to 2024 draw sizes for P1s and P2s starting with Santiago P1, where one tournament page listed a main draw of 48 teams. Ruiz’s comments fit that larger fight: the sport is getting stronger, but the rules around points, draws and tournament incentives are still deciding who gets to show it.