As his 2023 season is about to begin in the United Arab Emirates, the World Padel Tour already promises us that some records will be broken this year. The first concerns the number of events organized in a year, since no less than 27 tournaments will take place in 14 different countries. In 2022, the previous record, it was 24 events in 12 countries.

Other records are still uncertain, as they concern the future honors of certain emblematic players of the world elite.

50 titles for Salazar?

One of these records concerns world No. 1 Alejandra Salazar. The 37-year-old Spaniard has won no less than 12 WPT titles in 2022, out of the 21 tables played with her partner Gemma Triay. In 2023, it would be enough for these two players to win just one to allow Salazar to reach the milestone of 50 WPT titles. Since 2013, she has won tournaments every year except 2017, a season clouded by injury.

Salazar and Triay won the Master Final in Barcelona in mid-December

The competition is far behind, with only 32 titles for its three pursuers: Gemma Triay – who will not be able to recover this delay as long as they play together – and the twins Mapi and Majo Sanchez Alayeto.

A 4th season at the top for Lebron and Galan?

On the men's side, it is Juan Lebron and Alejandro Galan who could break records. Associated since 2020, the two Spaniards are the undisputed number 1 and intend to remain so. Winners of six WPT titles in 2020, seven in 2021 and ten in 2022, they will seek to do even better in 2023.

If they stay at the top of the pyramid, the Lebron / Galan pair would become the first to be No. 1 for four consecutive seasons in the WPT era, which began in 2013. Pablo Lima and Fernando Belasteguin have been in the lead for three years in a row (2015, 2016 and 2017), but they lost their crown in mid-2018 to Argentinians Sanyo Gutierrez and Maxi Sanchez.

Lebron and Galan also landed success at the Master Final in Barcelona

Individually, Lebron will try to complete his fifth straight season as No. 1 – a rank he first achieved with Paquito Navarro in 2019. Juan Martin Diaz and three times with Pablo Lima. But all circuits combined, “el Boss” totals 1 years as n°2013, an absolute record which will perhaps never be surpassed.

After 40 years of tennis, Jérôme falls into the pot of padel in 2018. Since then, he thinks about it every morning while shaving… but never shaves pala in hand! Journalist in Alsace, he has no other ambition than to share his passion with you, whether you speak French, Italian, Spanish or English.

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