Premier Padel makes further improvements to world’s official professional tour following player feedback at ranking committee meetings with players and the International Padel Federation

• Premier Padel and the IPPA have agreed women’s draw sizes to remain unchanged (keeping the already approved 2025 sizes)
• The IPPA decide to cover qualification hotel costs to support lower-ranked women’s players
• Premier Padel to increase women’s prize money for P2s
• Following widespread men’s player criticism, men’s draws will revert to the 2024 sizes for P1s and P2s (effective from the Santiago P1), while action now being taken against illegal boycott
• Premier Padel to help re-build project in Mexico after devastating hurricane, and thanks heroic efforts of Cancun P2 tournament team
• Fantastic plans for Miami P1 (17-23 March) and Santiago P1 (24-30 March)

In keeping with Premier Padel’s constant commitment to listen to all stakeholders and – in particular – for the official professional tour to improve in the interests of players of all ranking, several Ranking Committee meetings were convened last week comprising representatives of Premier Padel, the International Padel Federation (FIP) as governing body of professional and amateur padel worldwide, and – respectively – the Professional Padel Association (PPA) on behalf of men’s players and the International Padel Players Association (IPPA) on behalf of women’s players.

Following the Ranking Committee meeting with the IPPA, and in line with the future evolution of the tour, Premier Padel and the IPPA have agreed that the size of the women’s draws remain unchanged and instead retain the new 2025 draw sizes. The IPPA agrees that the sporting changes implemented this season contribute to the positive evolution of the circuit.

In addition, Premier Padel has decided to increase the women’s prize money for P2 tournaments by €10,000 per tournament to help support all female players participating, effective immediately going forward.

Finally, the IPPA has decided to cover the hotel costs of women’s players during qualification rounds in all tournaments starting from the P1 of Santiago until the end of the 2025 season – an historic decision by an association representing players, again to support the up-and-coming talent of the women’s game and growing the sport globally.

At the Ranking Committee meeting with the PPA, despite the meeting being convened purely to incorporate the feedback of the men’s players about the size of the draws, PPA stated that they had no preference either way on the draw size changes.  As such, given the repeated, public and officially-communicated criticism made by men’s players of the 2025 draw sizes, Premier Padel and FIP has made a major concession to revert the 2024 draw sizes for P1s and P2s, effective from the Santiago P1.

In relation to the unprecedented illegal boycott of Premier Padel tournaments by certain men’s players – which has caused catastrophic direct financial and reputational damage to the tour, to promoters, to commercial partners and broadcasters – Premier Padel will now be initiating robust legal action for all breaches of the legally-binding for all parties and unequivocal Long Form Agreement in place with men’s players (negotiated over more than a year with the PPA) which is the legal basis of the foundation of the entire project.  In addition, to protect the integrity of the tour and the sport, Premier Padel has also filed a legal submission to FIP for immediate disciplinary procedures to be commenced against players in breach of their fundamental obligations in accordance with the governing rules of the sport.

On behalf of all stakeholders connected to the tour and padel fans around the world, Premier Padel and FIP sincerely thank the entire team of the Cancun P2 for delivering the tournament this coming week, much like the incredible Gijon P2 team last week.  Premier Padel has also made a significant charitable contribution to support the re-build project in the country of Mexico after the devastating hurricane that affected the Mexico Major in Acapulco in 2024 – an event organised by the same promoter as the Cancun P2 tournament taking place this week.

Fantastic plans are in place for the Miami P1 (17-23 March) – Premier Padel’s pioneering first tournament in the USA – and Santiago P1 (24-30 March), as the tour continues to bring the professional sport to new parts of the world, supporting players of all rankings, to help FIP’s Olympic pathway project for padel.