Tapia to Padel Alto after being stopped from the new tour: ”Final decision from Nox”

He had already signed up and was ready for the first-ever competition of the new FIP tour with his partner Sanyo Gutierrez. But when the registration closed on Saturday, Agustin Tapia's name was missing. 
— I wanted to go. I was already signed up, Tapia says to Padel Alto. 

On Saturday came the unexpected news. Two players in the top 20 of the rankings were missing from the list when registration closed for the first competition organized by FIP and backed by the Professional Players Association (PPA) and Qatar Sports Investment (QSI). 

These were the Nox-sponsored players Agustin Tapia (5) and Miguel Lamperti (19). Even Rafa Mendez (50) was stopped. 

In an interview with Padel Alto earlier this week, Nox CEO Jesús Ballvé told us more about the situation. 

— Nox has advised its players not to violate the clauses they have signed in their contracts with the WPT, he said, among other things. 

The background is the conflict between the World Padel Tour and the FIP/PPA. The Spanish brand Nox is a sponsoring partner of the World Padel Tour. 

On whether Nox players will play on the new FIP tour in the future, Jesús Ballvé said: 

— You'll have to ask the players about that. 

”I was already signed up.”

When Padel Alto asks Agustin Tapia about his non-participation during the first competition in Doha, the star replies: 

— I wanted to go. I was already signed up, but I canceled my registration, Agustin Tapia says. 

Instead, Agustin Tapia's partner Sanyo Gutierrez signed up with his nephew Agustin Gutierrez at the last second before registration closed on Saturday. 

Was it because of your sponsorship contract with Nox that you canceled? 
— Yes, it was a decision from the brand. They have a contract with World Padel Tour, Tapia says. 

Will you participate in the upcoming competitions of the tour organized by FIP? 
— For now, the only certainty is that I won't be attending the first one. For the rest of the tournaments, nothing is confirmed yet. The future decisions will come from Nox. 

The first competition of a total of at least ten years will be played in Doha between 28th March and 2nd April. Venues and dates for the remaining competitions are not yet official.