Genova Premier Padel P2, from June 30th to July 7th the ‘European Capital of Sport 2024’ welcomes great padel

The combination is perfect: a great sports festival… in the European Capital of Sport! For Italian ‘pala’ fans, a wonderful surprise is on the way in the shadow of the ‘Lanterna’. A few days after the excitement of the BNL Italy Major Premier Padel, scheduled to take place at the Foro Italico in Rome from 15 to 23 June, the show of great international padel will move further north, to Genova, for the first edition of the Genova Premier Padel P2. From 30 June to 7 July 2024, all the world’s best players in this discipline will meet in the ‘City of the Lantern’, on the courts immersed in the picturesque Valletta Cambiaso Park.

The event, an integral part of the prestigious international Premier Padel circuit, was presented this morning at Palazzo Tursi, in the city’s historical centre, in the presence of Angelo Binaghi (President of the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation), Luigi Carraro (President of the International Padel Federation), Alessandro Piana (Interim President of the Liguria Region), Massimiliano Nannini (Director of the Hydrographic Institute of the Italian Navy), Maurizio Caviglia (Secretary General of the Genova Chamber of Commerce) and Marco Bucci (Mayor of Genova).

CHAMPIONS Also at the ‘Genova Premier Padel P2’ – as stated in the official press release of the event, organised by the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation and Sport e Salute – all the best players of the sport are expected, ready to compete for precious world ranking points and the first prize of the rich €250,000 prize money. In the men’s event, all eyes will be on the pairs Arturo Coello-Agustin Tapia, Alejandro Galan-Federico Chingotto, Juan Lebron-Paquito Navarro, through to Juan Tello alongside legend Fernando Belasteguin, in the last season of his extraordinary career. In the women’s side, Ari Sanchez-Paula Josemaria, Delfi Brea-Bea Gonzalez, Gemma Triay-Claudia Fernandez, plus former number 1 Marta Marrero, back on the court after stopping for maternity leave, alongside Aranzazu Osoro. The attention and cheers of the Ligurian fans will be all for the Italian pairs Flavio Abbate-Giulio Graziotti, Riccardo Sinicropi-Lorenzo Di Giovanni, Simone Cremona-Nuno Deus and, in the women’s, for Italy’s number 1 Carolina Orsi, number 2 Carlotta Casali and number 3 Lorena Vano, for the pair formed by Giulia Sussarello and Emily Stellato, through to Chiara Pappacena and Giorgia Marchetti.

SCHEDULE From Sunday 30 June to Tuesday 2 July, the men’s and women’s qualifying rounds will take place. On Wednesday 3 and Thursday 4 July, the first matches of the main draw are scheduled, with the day session starting at 10 am, and the evening session at 6 pm. On Friday 5 July, from 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., the quarter-finals will be played while the semi-finals are scheduled on 6 July (two from 3 p.m. and the other two at 7 p.m.). On Sunday 7 July, starting at 6.30 p.m., the two finals will be staged, first the women’s and then the men’s.

Angelo Binaghi, President of the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation: “With this new prestigious event hosted in Genova, Italy confirms itself as a strategic country for the development of padel, the sport that in recent years has grown more than any other in the world. I thank the International Federation and Premier Padel for choosing our country, now second only to Spain, and the Municipality of Genova for the valuable support received”.

Luigi Carraro, President of the International Padel Federation: “The “Genova Premier Padel P2”, like other tournaments, has great relevance for the padel movement. The strongest players in the world have proved this, putting on a show in this unprecedented competitive dimension – the Premier Padel P2 tournaments – which, being the novelty of the season, most of all symbolises the new era of padel. Italy is now the second most representative country in the world in terms of number of courts and players, and this is a merit that must be attributed to the development that has taken place over the last few years, thanks to the commitment of the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation and, in the organisation of major tournaments, of Sport e Salute, with whom the harmony is total. In just a few weeks we will have this extraordinary P2 in a beautiful and welcoming city like Genova, which is reflected in the enthusiasm of Mayor Marco Bucci, the Rome Major at the Foro Italico, the FIP Platinum Sardegna in Cagliari and, finally, the FIP European Padel Championship again in Cagliari, for which the qualifiers have just been played. An extraordinary summer then, for padel, for Italy, for anyone who loves our sport”.

Diego Nepi Molineris, CEO of Sport e Salute: “The P2 in Genova is another bet won. After the Internazionali d’Italia, the Premier Padel in Rome and the ATP Finals, this is the fourth step in a collaboration, the one with the FITP, that is becoming stronger and stronger every year. A model to be imitated. The location is unique with four courts set up on the terraces. The P2 is part of ‘Genova Capitale Europea dello Sport’, which will see Sport e Salute also involved in setting up a number of playgrounds in various strategic points of the city, representing a continuation of the Illumina philosophy that started in Caivano”.

Marco Bucci, Mayor of Genova: “Padel, a sport that continues to grow and spread, attracts fans and athletes of the highest level from all over the world. The choice of Genova as the venue for a stage of the Premier Padel is a source of great pride for all of us and confirms our city as a nerve centre for sporting events of international importance. Genova is ready to offer a great welcome to all participants and spectators, showing the best of what it has to offer in terms of hospitality, culture and beautiful landscape. We are confident that this event will prove to be a great showcase for our city, promoting tourism and creating an important economic spin-off for our territory. Another extraordinary event in this great year in which Genova is the European Capital of Sport”.

Alessandra Bianchi, Councillor for Sports Facilities and Activities, and Tourism of the Municipality of Genova: “The Genova Premier Padel P2 is one of the main events of the “Genova 2024 European Capital of Sport” programme. We strongly wanted it in synergy with the national and regional FITP in a special year in which all racquet disciplines are protagonists. We inaugurated the European 2024 with the Coppa Davis Days, enhanced by Matteo Arnaldi’s presence with tennis school children on a special court set up at Palazzo Tursi. We are experiencing the passion of the TPRA Masters with the ‘Cup of Doubles’ in Valletta Cambiaso. Genova is now also ready to welcome to the city the players and the many fans who will be watching the matches between the padel champions. And, to do this in the best possible way, it is preparing with many surprises that will involve both Genovese and visitors. The P2 Premier stage thus marks a new debut for our city in a prestigious international circuit. I would like to thank the presidents Angelo Binaghi and Luigi Carraro, together with the CEO of Sport e Salute Diego Nepi Molineris, not only for their presence but for this synergy that I am sure will continue in the coming years”.

Alessandro Piana, Acting President of the Liguria Region: “Padel is a constantly growing global phenomenon that attracts both amateurs and professionals. Genova Premier Padel P2′ represents an important moment for Liguria and for this sport, not only from a technical point of view, because it combines the excitement of great players with the atmosphere of a real sports festival. It’s an event that brings prestige to our region by welcoming a large number of fans, promoting the values of sport and psychophysical well-being. This is why, from 30 June, we will write beautiful pages of this sport in a green lung just a few steps from the sea, contributing to making Liguria’s rich calendar of events even more precious”.