The Players Association in open conflict with WPT: ”Undervalued the sport and the players for many years”

The Players' Association for the men's players at the World Padel Tour has described in an open letter how badly the organization treats the players. Already this year, the top players want to play on a new tour with much higher prize money.

There has been a lot of speculation about which tour will be the world tour of the future. Those currently in the race include the leading World Padel Tour, the existing tour APT Padel Tour and the newly formed Players Padel Tour by Lisandro Borges. 

Earlier this year, Padel Alto revealed that even PSG president and owner Nasser Al-Khelaifi wants to get in on the action for the world's best players. 

”Tending to undervalue both the sport and the athletes.”

The newly formed players association on the men's side, with Alejandro Galan as the president, goes out in an open letter sharply criticizing the World Padel Tour. 

— WPT's communication and conduct in recent days are totally consistent with its insincere approach, exclusively self-serving and tending to undervalue both the sport and the athletes for so many years, says the letter. 

According to Spanish site Marca, the World Padel Tour's top players want to participate in at least ten competitions this year in a new world tour to be launched by Nasser Al-Khelaifi. Marca writes that the new world tour promises four to five times higher prize money than the World Padel Tour offers.

”WPT has had numerous opportunities for months.”

— What we can tell you now is that a firm proposal for the development of a new circuit has been received from one of the world's leading sports investment funds that intend to operate under the strict auspices and verification of the organized international federation movement, the letter says. 

And continues: 

— WPT has had numerous opportunities for months, if not years, to present us with a solid and worthy proposal with the players. 

All players' World Padel Tour contracts expire at the end of 2023. The last time the padel world faced the same situation was in 2018. Then, APT Padel Tour's Fabrice Pastor threatened the World Padel Tour by offering the players another tour. 

At that time, the players were divided and chose different sides in the conflict. It ended with the players signing a contract until 2023 with the World Padel Tour. 

More articles related to the subject

Read more about the Players Padel Tour here. 

Video interview with Lisandro Borges, CEO of the Players Padel Tour. 

Read Padel Alto's revelation that the PSG president wants to create a new tour.