The tournament in Rome has been a huge success 25 thousand tickets sold, 1.2 million euros from gate receipts only and record on social media

The thrill of being there, of writing an unforgettable page in padel’s history, of competing for the first time alongside her colleagues in a  prestigious combined event. An irrepressible smile on the face of Gemma Triay and  all the female athletes who would never have been content to watch, once again,  such a prestigious tournament only on TV.

We can also think about the enthusiasm of the audience on Center court cheering the umpteenth performance of the timeless talent of the 44-year-old Argentine phenomenon Fernando Belasteguin capable – alongside Mike Yanguas – of outclassing, in quarter finals, the world number one and defending champions of the tournament, Lebron-Galan. No less, the dances and chants of the Foro Italico going wild for a ‘Paquito‘ Navarro on fire, who conquered the second final in Rome in a row to the sound of astonishing moves.

Images, snapshots that immortalize one of the biggest and most important world events of padel. The BNL Italy Major Premier Padel has returned to Rome in an even bigger, richer and more engaging site, managing not only to repeat but to improve on last year’s success, with even more relevant figures: men’s main draw of 56 pairs and women’s of 48; 134 incredible matches played over the length of 9 days; the 10 thousand total attendance recorded on yesterday alone; around 25.000 paying spectators and 1.2 million euros only from gate receipts, 44% more than last year. An event made possible thanks to the teamwork put in place by the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation, Sport e Salute, the International Padel Federation and Premier Padel, with the support of the Dipartimento Sport, Comune di Roma and Regione Lazio and the endorsement of the BNL BNP Paribas Group, that – after extending, until 2028, its support for the Internazionali BNL d’Italia – debuts alongside padel as title sponsor of the tournament. 2023 thus marks a new starting point for Rome, which confirms itself as a cornerstone of the increasingly rich international calendar of high-level padel.

RECORD ON SOCIAL MEDIA TOO – BNL Italy Major Premier Padel 2023 edition is also recording great success on the web and social media. The International Padel Federation website – www.padelfip.com – in the week of the tournament alone recorded 719,000 page views with 78,000 unique visitors. The Instagram page – https://www.instagram.com/padelfip/ – totaled 1,5 million impressions (numbers updated on the eve of the final); finally, more than 700 articles were published among national and international press.

STATEMENTS

Angelo Binaghi, President of the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation: “In 2022, at the end of the tournament, after the surprising success it had, I said that it would only be the first step of a long journey of growth and that we would immediately start working to prepare an even better edition. Little did we know that a year later we would be commenting on a historic event, such as this BNL Italy Major Premier Padel was: the first tournament of this level open to women, a choice that did justice to the extraordinary athletes we saw on the courts of Foro Italico this week and proved to be a winner, for the level of play displayed and for the interest that the public gave to it. We close, as it is now our habit, with record numbers: around 25.000 paying spectators and 1.2 million euros only from gate receipts. Despite an exceptionally hot weather that put players and spectators on edge, Rome crowns itself as one of the capitals of padel worldwide, as well as of tennis. We also won this match, but I would say that everyone who played it won it: the Federation, which has invested and will continue to invest in padel; Sport e Salute, which once again brought its efficiency to the table; the International Federation, which continues to believe in us; Premier Padel, which gives us the opportunity to organize such tournament; the Sports Department, the Municipality of Rome and the Lazio Region, which support us, as do our partners, starting with BNL. Therefore, in light of this result, we promise our members, practitioners and all the fans of our disciplines to get right back to work for the next edition, which will obviously be the best ever”.

Luigi Carraro, President of the International Padel Federation: “A year ago we brought the great padel to Rome and it was a success. This year we moved it to July and to the Central court, and it seemed like a crazy idea. But instead, today we can say it was a successful challenge of organization, competition and audience. In 2022, we wanted to win the hearts of the players. In 2023, the one of all padel fans, starting with the Romans, who once again showed that they madly love this sport. But throughout the week the Foro spoke all the languages of the world, because padel has a universal vocation, overcomes barriers, unites populations, or rather a single, wonderful and unique population.  Just like the teamwork that allowed the success of this edition, the first combined one, open to women: again, we did not miss the appointment with History. I would like to thank the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation and Sport e Salute for the amazing organization of this tournament in this unique venue, the Foro Italico. My applause also goes to the International Federation and Premier Padel for making our circuit more innovative and professional every day. We will continue to work, to grow, to dream together, for padel and for sport”.

Vito Cozzoli, President and CEO of Sport e Salute: “With the BNL Italy Major Premier Padel of Rome, we witnessed a parade of stars at Foro Italico and felt firsthand the passion of the public for an ever-growing sport. To have brought padel to Italy was a bet that we won, we are proud to have been the first to have contributed in turning an idea, a dream into reality. The BNL Italy Major Premier Padel turned out to be a celebration of sport for everyone, able to unite the high level with grassroots sport.”

Ziad Hammoud, Premier Padel board member: “The BNL Italy Major was a milestone for Premier Padel. Women’s participation in the circuit has always been our ambition and we are delighted to have welcomed the talent of female players, making this tournament even more memorable. It has not only enriched the competition, but also pushed the event to unprecedented levels of success. We look forward to next week in Madrid”.