In an interview for our Argentinian colleagues from Olé, Fernando Belasteguin summarizes without filter the situation of the professional circuits of padel. More than one 3-way battle, 2023 will be an auction with very many (and very wealthy) bidders.

Bela's response

Asked about the future of professional circuits of padel, the former world No. 1 is very clear:

In Buenos Aires, Lisandro (Borges) gave us a very good presentation. 

In Qatar, the president of PSG brought together several players and told us how he could help our sport.

This Tuesday there is a meeting with a economic group of Spain who wants to present us with an option for the future.

There is the World Padel Tour with which we have a contract until 2023.

But I'm telling you the same thing I've always said, and which gave me more of a headache: all projects can be spectacular, but the only irreplaceable asset of the padel professional, these are the players. Everything else can be replaced. I said it before and it didn't like it.

Today you have the FIP circuit, the Fabrice Pastor circuit, the World Padel Tour, some in Sweden. There are a lot of people who can make a spectacular championship, but they need the players.

finger belasteguin pyramids

Options

Le World Padel Tour is the first option. The players are under contract until 2023, and everything that has been created by the Spanish Tour is a definite advantage. The many sponsorship contracts or the sale of TV rights are an asset, but beware, there could be a higher bidder.

THEAPT Padel Tour is a reality - and even a beautiful reality -. “The Pastor circuit ”, as Bela calls him, has proven that he knows how to organize great events. The Monaco Master on the Place du Casino de Monte-Carlo is an example, for a circuit which does not cease to internationalize. Thomas Johansson has also announced a very strong increase in the prize-money for 2022.

Le Players Padel Lisandro Borges Tower seems to be the third option. “A very good presentation ”, according to Fernando, for a man who wishes to make a circuit for the players and by the players. The former WPT does not want the same mistakes to be made, and the players to be the real protagonists. An option that inevitably appeals to Bela.

players padel tour

We announced it to you after the Qatar World Championships, -Qatar could be behind a professional circuit of padel-. If we are to believe the words of the Argentine, this proposal would have been made to the players in Doha during the Worlds. The economic power of the Qataris is gigantic, and if a financial battle sets in, Nasser Al-Khelaïfi and his compatriots could win the race.

Finally, a group of Spanish sponsors and investors would also like to create a circuit. The project would be very serious but for the moment information is very scarce. Bela talks about it freely, saying that she has a meeting with them, proof that this project is taking shape.

2022, the decisive year

The options are many, and all of this is very good for the development of the padel. The year 2023 will be a pivotal year as contracts are being renegotiated, and above all because the number and size of bidders has multiplied. It is therefore the coming year, in 2022, that all the proposals will have to seduce the players.

Rapid developments have to be done with great precision for the foundations to be solid. The ball will be in the court of the players who will have to choose what is best for their interests, not to mention those of the sport that gave them everything.

From his names, we can guess his Spanish and Italian origins. Lorenzo is a multilingual passionate about sports: journalism by vocation and events by worship are his two legs. He is the international gentleman of Padel Magazine. You will often see it on the various international competitions, but also on the major French events. @eyeofpadel on Instagram to see his best photos of padel !

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