The French Tennis Federation (‘FFT’) and Premier Padel, the official global padel tour governed by the International Padel Federation (FIP), backed by the Professional Padel Association (‘PPA’) and Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) have announced that Stade Roland-Garros will host the Paris Premier Padel Major from 11th to 17th July 2022, as part of a multi-year agreement.
This major event will showcase the elite standards of the world’s fastest growing sport.
The Paris Premier Padel Major (the “Major”) is the first Major tournament to be announced for Europe, and the second Major event to be announced for the official Premier Padel tour, supported by the professional players of the PPA and under the governance of the FIP. Taking place at the historic Stade Roland-Garros, the Major will bring players and spectators together for an unparalleled, premium experience of elite, high-quality professional sport.
The Major will welcome the top seeded players in the sport, offering competitors 2,000 ranking points as well as a record-breaking prize fund.
The FFT signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Premier Padel this week and, with this first European Major, becomes a leading partner and contributor to the international padel scene. The Federation is also committed to furthering the development of padel at all levels in France, where the sport is rapidly growing with already more than 280,000 players.
Premier Padel will organise at least ten tournaments, including four category one Major events, in 2022 and 2023. The final of the first of these events, the Ooredoo Qatar Major 2022, takes place today – live in France on beIN SPORTS and the Premier Padel YouTube Channel. From 2024 onwards, the Premier Padel circuit intends to organise at least 25 tournaments across all its categories, reaching fans in all five continents around the world.
The Paris Premier Padel Major will be broadcast worldwide to a global audience by some of the leading media companies in the world, including ESPN, SKY, Viaplay, SuperSport and – in France – beIN SPORTS. Premier Padel is continuing to engage with broadcasting partners to expand the viewership of this event.
FFT President Gilles Moretton, said “It’s an honour to be the first European country to offer the world’s best players a “Major” padel event. The FFT is proud to write padel history by teaming up with FIP and Premier Padel to organize the Paris Premier Padel Major at Stade Roland-Garros. This will propel padel to a new dimension and boost the French fervor for that discipline, which the FFT is supporting through a multi-lever development plan.”
Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, Chairman of Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), said “Today is a highly significant moment for the sport of padel – in France, in Europe and on the global stage. We said from day one that the official new tour will take the sport to the highest ever level – and holding a Major at Stade Roland Garros is testament to that. This tournament is very special and will be one of our four Majors, and I would like to extend my thanks to the FFT for their passion and vision for developing padel in France.”
Luigi Carraro, President of the International Padel Federation, said “We are absolutely delighted for our sport, and the players, that padel – under the governance of the International Padel Federation – will be played in one of the world’s most iconic and revered venues – Stade Roland-Garros. Padel is growing rapidly in France and we look forward to showcasing our sport at its best to new audiences in this spectacular venue – and to viewers all over the world – under this multi-year deal.”
The announcement and the signing of the MOU demonstrate the vision of the FFT for the sport of padel in France, within the international governance of FIP, and together with the commitment of Premier Padel to take the new tour to major new venues all over the world with FIP and PPA’s support, founded on professionalism and a premium experience for players and fans alike.
