Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, president of the French football club PSG and of the Qatar Tennis Federation, as well as one of the wealthiest men in the world, has decided to challenge the World Padel Tour by founding his own professional padel circuit. After the launch of the APT Tour, which, truth be told, has not yet posed major problems for the WPT, this new initiative raises considerable concern. The new circuit, supported by QSI (Qatar Sports Investments), will begin in 2022 and continue into 2023, the year when the World Padel Tour’s exclusivity contract expires.
In the meantime, the players have taken action and, as is known, in October they created the Professional Padel Association—an organization through which they intend to negotiate their rights and their future as a group. This association, which already includes around twenty of the world’s best players and continues to grow, is presided over by Alejandro Galán and aims to support the circuit backed by the wealthy Qatari magnate, who held several meetings with the players during the World Cup.
The current issue lies in the exclusivity agreement they have with the World Padel Tour until December 31, 2023. Therefore, a waiver from the FIP would be required for those who wish to participate in tournaments across both circuits. Nasser’s plan is to organize at least 10 tournaments worldwide in 2022 and 2023, and then establish a monopoly in 2024 with a minimum of 30 stages—all tournaments featuring prize money significantly higher than that of the current ones.
