PPA about the uncontracted players: ”Discriminated and expelled from WPT”

The PPA issued an official statement to the WPT showing the player's upset about the new calendar and the exclusion of players without contracts.

After the late announcement of the 2023 World Padel Tour calendar, controversy broke out between players and the circuit. The Players´ Association (PPA) issued an official statement objecting to several points in which it accuses the circuit of breaching signed contracts.

According to PPA, both the content and the form of the official calendar violate several essential clauses (both for those players who usually participate directly in the main draw and for those who start participating in the qualifying rounds).

Addition of tournament types

The players argue that the new calendar has unilaterally incorporated four types of tournaments (Masters, Open 1000, Open 500, and Master Final) when the contracts only establish three types of tournaments as obligatory (Masters, Open, and Master Final).

Publication date of the calendar

Another discrepancy is the delay in communicating the official calendar, which was officially sent to the players on 18 January. The contract states that it must be communicated to the players at least one month before the start of the competition, and considering that it starts on 10 February with the men's Qualy for the Rioja Open 1000 tournament, the deadlines would not be those required by contract.

PPA considers this "creates an inferior position" for players who do not start in the main draw.

Players without contract

The third point - perhaps the most contentious - is excluding players without a contract from the WPT 2023 events. In this matter, PPA was categorical in its communiqué:

"We advocate that WPT event promoters, sponsors, partners, and suppliers, help to ensure that players are not discriminated against and expelled from WPT if the private promoter feels that they are hindering their private business decisions."

And it continues: 

"We express our absolute disagreement and discomfort with an organization that seeks to eliminate part of our comrades, exercising a position of domination without any prior negotiation."

Finally, the PPA advises the circuit that it will consider all legal measures (however severe) to prevent players without contracts from being excluded from the 2023 season.