Top stars to participate in Dubai Premier Padel P1 tournament

Gulf Today, Sports Reporter

The Dubai Premier Padel P1 tournament has launched the first phase of ticketing for the inaugural landmark event, with organisers laying out an economic and community-driven vision for how the international showpiece will establish a legacy both for Dubai, and the sport’s ongoing growth regionally and internationally.

Following a multi-year hosting agreement between the UAE Padel Association (UAEPA), the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), Dubai Sports Council (DSC), Premier Padel, and Dubai-based Gallop Global, the emirate will host its maiden event of the world’s only official professional padel tour from November 3-10 on six purpose-built courts at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium.

“The launch of the Dubai Premier Padel P1 is a historic milestone for the sport, which has rapidly become popular in the UAE,” said Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Bin Juma Al Maktoum, President of the UAEPA.

“It is testament to our commitment to nurturing the growth of this sport in this vibrant emirate and perfectly aligns with Dubai Economic Agenda D33’s vision to establish the city as a global hub for premier sporting events and the world’s leading city to live, work and visit. We are pleased to be at the forefront of this movement by working closely with our strategic partners, including the Department of Economy and Tourism, to ensure the legacy of padel in Dubai extends far beyond the court.”

Dubai Premier Padel P1 is part of a 25-tournament season that visits 18 countries across five continents.

With the world’s best players obligated to compete in P1 events, the likes of Arturo Coello, Ariana Sanchez Fallada, Juan Lebron, Alejandro Galan, Agustin Tapia, Franco Stupaczuk, Beatriz Gonzalez, and Delfina Brea are set to be among a field of 320 players, with separate formats for male and female pairings. The accumulated prize pool for both categories is €470,000 euros (Dh1.89 million). With Fernando Belasteguin set to retire at the end of this season, it will also mark the final chance to catch the best player in padel history competing in an official event in the UAE.

Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), said: “The remarkable rise of padel courts across Dubai in recent years reflects the sport's increasing popularity locally and internationally. In line with this trend we are proud to host the first ever Dubai Premier Padel P1 tournament, a significant addition to the city’s robust year-round calendar of events. Sport serves as a cornerstone in Dubai’s tourism and events ecosystem, aligning with the overarching goals of the D33 Agenda to further consolidate Dubai as the leading global city for business and leisure. We expect this landmark event to be a tremendous success, offering an unparalleled experience for athletes and spectators visiting from across the globe.”

The sport’s world governing body estimates that 25 million people play padel around the world, while the International Padel Federation’s Research & Data Analysis Department have said the UAE is home to more than 320 padel facilities and 950-plus courts, meaning not only that 30 per cent of all courts in Asia are located in the Emirates, but that it is second behind only Bahrain as the country with the best court-to-population ratio on the continent with one court per 10,000 inhabitants. Padel is also home to an estimated 250,000 fans in the UAE and enjoys around 500,000 followers on social media.

Ivan Modia, Dubai Premier Padel P1 Tournament Director and CEO of Gallop Global, added: “With the release of the first batch of tickets for our inaugural tournament, this is the opening milestone of a vision that extends well beyond one week per year. The Dubai Premier Padel P1 is not only an elite padel event; it is a year-round project that will establish a legacy both for the sport and the city. We know padel is massively popular in the Emirates already and we have hugely ambitious plans that involve taking padel into schools, providing amateurs from local clubs with a pathway to professionalism, with the UAEPA to organically grow the sport at a local and national level, and so much more.”

In addition to the Dubai Premier Padel P1 ticket launch, Gallop Global has secured the tournament’s first headline sponsor with Oysho, an international sport and leisure brand committed to innovation and quality.

Oysho is the Official and Exclusive Clothing Partner and Technical Sports Brand of the Tournament for the 2024 and 2025 editions. The collaboration reaffirms Oysho’s commitment to padel and sports, while highlighting the appeal of aligning early with a prestigious new international event.

The inaugural Dubai Premier Padel P1 tournament will take place from November 3-10 on six purpose-built courts at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium.