Kick-off of the third edition of the Greenweez Paris Major! On the microphone of Padel Magazine, Arnaud Di Pasquale, tournament director, has already revealed the great ambitions for the 2025 edition.
PM: “How did you prepare for this tournament with your team? Are you stressed?”
Arnaud: "So yes, there is pressure. With this Olympic and Paralympic year, we had to wait for the Roland-Garros stadium to be free, we assume that we had no choice. It was the quickest date after the Games.
The weather is quite cool and there is a risk of a bit of rain. We have put a track on the Suzanne-Lenglen court with a roof. That gives us two covered tracks with the Philippe Chatrier, and we have two additional tracks at the National Training Center, which makes four tracks to be able to play the first matches. The idea is to have four tracks as a backup to ensure the tournament in case of rain. We have to be ready to cover before it rains, there are lots of subtleties that we have to anticipate.
PM: “Do we already have some dates for the 2025 edition?”
Arnaud: "Today, our wish is to set a lasting date. When we look at history, we moved very quickly: we infiltrated the calendar of World Padel Tour in 2022, then we chose a date that suited us, and now we find ourselves with the constraints of the Olympics. Three different dates, it's complicated for our players. What we would like is for the tournament to take place in mid-September and for it to become a habit, with weather that would be favorable at that time.
PM: “Aren’t you afraid of having weather similar to this edition?”
Arnaud: "There will always be risks for an outdoor event. Mid-September, I think it will be better. In 2023, we had good weather. We can hope for beautiful days, it is not too cold, and for the rain, we can organize ourselves with back-ups. It is up to us to plan indoor tracks to be able to play as many matches as possible."
PM: “We saw you kissing the cup earlier, does this cup make you dream?”
Arnaud: "I am very proud and happy to participate, with the FFT, in the influence of padel in France and in the world, by offering such a legendary place. I find this cup more and more beautiful, it really makes us want to. When we prepare an event, it represents a lot of work with many teams, and when it comes to fruition, we are in the game and we also want to lift the trophy!"
A fan of oval ball, round ball and also racket sports, he was bitten by padel during his adolescence in Galicia. As comfortable in front of the camera as behind a microphone, Vince will be able to bring his vision and expertise as a passionate fan of the little yellow ball.