Carraro after the first season of Premier Padel: "Next year the girls have to be there"

In an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca, Luigi Carraro, President of the FIP took stock of the first year of the Premier Padel circuit. He talked about the players as the basis of the project and the absence of the girls during the first season.
— from 2023 onwards the girls have to be there, he said.

With no doubt, the big news in the world of padel in 2022 has been the emergence of a new circuit. In February Premier Padel was born, a tour created by QSI and FIP and endorsed by the PPA, putting in check the World Padel Tour.

After a turbulent 2022 from the judicial and sporting point of view, Luigi Carraro, president of the FIP, made a balance of the first year of the circuit with the sports newspaper Marca. 

“I think the balance is very positive, but the FIP, like PPA and QSI we want perfection. We must improve structures and small sporting details. All this has to serve as motivation to correct the mistakes, to recognise them and to look forward,” Said Carraro.

“The players had no voice”

Days ago (November 27th) the deadline imposed by World Padel Tour for players to sign the new proposal of the circuit expired. Through a statement, the PPA announced it will not consider any individual offer, and that communications should be addressed directly to the players' association.

For the FIP, the clear difference between World Padel Tour and Premier Padel is that the new circuit respects the decisions of the players, and their freedom to practice their profession without restrictions.

"Until now there was a tour that had an owner who made his decisions, but we have given padel a sporting organisation. Before, the institutions were not respected, and the players had no voice. The player has to choose where he wants to play and how he wants to play. We can't be in 2022 forcing and imposing things".

"Twenty-five tournaments by 2024"

Although this year the circuit had announced 10 tournaments, the tight schedule meant that only eight could be held.

According to Carraro, in 2023 the circuit will hold between ten and twelve tournaments, and by 2024 the total number of events will be 25, although this is a decision that Premier Padel will discuss with the players. 

"This is the players' tour and everything will be shared with them. This is the motivation behind the creation of this circuit, because we didn't like the way padel was organised".

The ladies at Premier Padel

Undoubtedly, the great debt of the new circuit is the women's category. The girls could not be present in the first year of Premier Padel, as they have decided to be more cautious than the boys when deciding to be part of the project. 

“I was sad that they were not present in this first year. It has been negative for Premier Padel but also for the players, who have missed the opportunity to play in important places, with a good prize money and a great visibility,” said the FIP president.

And he continues:

"I respect what they have decided this year, that's for sure, but I think that the time has come and that from 2023 onwards, the girls have to be there. We want them, and there is not a single tournament organiser who has not counted on them.”