BNL Italy Major Premier Padel: Rome is ready for the show

134 matches in 9 days, for a show that has double the entertainment thanks to a tournament played for the first time in the combined formula, with women and men at the same time (56 pairs men main draw, 48 women).

From the qualifiers that will be held on Saturday, July 8 to the finals on Sunday the 16 – which this year will take place on the prestigious stage of the Centrale stadium – the seven courts of the Foro Italico are ready to welcome the BNL Italy Major Premier Padel again, one of the four major padel tournaments in the world with Doha, Paris and Monterrey, the flagship of an increasingly large and important circuit.

The highly anticipated second edition of the event starts again this year with the title sponsorship of BNL BNP Paribas which - in addition to supporting FITP in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia also known as the Italian Open - therefore also takes the court in support of padel.

The introduction of the women's draw next to the men's will offer an unprecedented show, even more unique and exciting: the possibility of admiring the exploits of the best players on the circuit will be able to fully satisfy the expectations of even the most demanding spectators.

Thanks to the synergistic work between the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation and Sport e Salute, Italy is confirmed in the small group of nations chosen by the International Padel Federation to organize some of the largest and most important world events dedicated to the limelight sport of the moment.

ALL THE STARS IN ROME

Again this year the best padel players of the international scene are ready to light up the stage of the Foro Italico. Healed from injury, Juan Lebron will return, right in Rome, to team up with Alejandro Galan.

Behind the highly anticipated Spanish duo, there will be the 'Superpibes': the Argentinians Franco Stupaczuk and Martin Di Nenno, winners of the Premier Padel of Doha and the Barcelo Valladolid Master where they surpassed the men of the moment, the 'Golden Boys' Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia. Impossible not to mention the presence of the timeless legend Fernando Belasteguin: again at the top despite his 44 revolutions around the sun, the Argentine will be among the protagonists of Rome alongside the Spaniard Miguel Yanguas.

The female entry list is of the highest level, led by three formidable couples, the first two Spanish, the third Argentine-Iberian, or better Ariana Sanchez-Paula Josemaria, Gemma Triay-Marta Ortega and Delfina Brea-Beatriz Gonzalez.

In the Capital there will obviously be no shortage of Azzurri athletes, above all the protagonists of the extraordinary adventure at the European Championships in Krakow which ended a few days ago with them earning three medals. Alongside Simone Cremona, we will in fact see Marco Cassetta again at work: the 24-year-old Piedmontese conquered silver in mixed doubles with Giulia Sussarello, who also won a bronze in the women's double alongside Chiara Pappacena. Moving on to the women's draw BNL Italy Major Premier Padel, Sussarello and Pappacena will respectively play in tandem with Emily Stellato and Giorgia Marchetti: born in Rome in 1995, Marchetti is one of the Italian players of the moment, as evidenced by the historical gold won in Krakow, obtained together with Carolina Orsi. Orsi will also be at the starting line of the Foro Italico tournament together with the Iberian Patricia Llaguno.

ALL COLLATERAL EVENTS

To further enrich the program, during the BNL Italy Major Premier Padel, the Istituto Superiore di Formazione Roberto Lombardi has several interesting initiatives planned. In fact, a Promises FIP tournament will be held - a junior tournament reserved for Under-18s (from July 13 to 16) - and the first ever edition of the Master of the Padel Trophy FIT circuit Kinder Joy of Moving (July 14-15). As happens at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia with the Young Village, the BNL Italy Major Premier Padel will also have its own area dedicated to play and interaction: the Padel Experience Area. In the area that during the last IBI hosted courts 12 and 13 will be organised performances of tournament champions, amateur tournaments, group lessons for every level directed by federal teachers. It will be the centre of gravity of entertainment, where fans will be able to enjoy a unique experience. Finally, in addition to the competition, the BNL Italy Major Premier Padel will offer a series of collateral activities to entertain the public. Alongside the exhibition stands of the major padel equipment brands, there will be those dedicated to catering. All this to make the experience even more satisfying and engaging for the many enthusiasts who will enliven the splendid park of the Foro Italico.

TICKETS - You can buy tickets for the BNL Italy Major Premier Padel directly on the TicketOne website: https://www.ticketone.it/
As with the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, also in this case, all FITP 2023 members have the extraordinary opportunity to purchase tickets with a 20% discount and season tickets with a 10% discount.

PADEL IN ITALY

An unstoppable social phenomenon. A sport in constant growth.
With over 25 million players in 120 countries, padel is not only one of the most loved sports in the world but also the one with the fastest diffusion. And Italy, with a total turnover for 2022 of 693 million euros (source Ifis study updated to October 2022), is no exception. The numbers recorded so far in 2023 (and therefore constantly updated), showcase the success of padel in our country: currently in Italy there are 1.2 million players (compared to last years 800,000); the number of courts went from 1832 in 2020 to 6923 this year (+278%); just as impressive is the growth in the number of FITP members, which recorded a + 489% (from 8707 in 2019 to 51,262 members in 2023).

Angelo Binaghi, President of the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation: “Padel is now a reality in the world of sports and in Italy it is growing more than in any other country. Our system is a model for many. The approaching edition of the BNL Italy Major Premier Padel is historic, for two reasons: it is the first under the aegis of Fitp and the first of its kind that includes a combined tournament, including both men and women. We get there with our usual solid teamwork, achieved with the precious contributions of Sport e Salute, the International Padel Federation, the Municipality of Rome and the Lazio Region, BNL which supports us and, this year, also the Department of Sport".

Luigi Carraro, President of the International Padel Federation: “A year ago, all the players defined the roman tournament as the most beautiful due to the charm and warmth of the public. I am convinced that this year athletes and fans will give us even stronger emotions. After all, we know how happy the players are to compete in this circuit, because they feel it is theirs and they perceive the passion we put into it. Padel is growing all over the world, in Italy in particular: we are returning from the emotions of Krakow, where we successfully tested the mix, and we are ready to experience an extraordinary edition of the BNL Italy Major Premier Padel, the first combined event of the our history, a goal that we strongly desired”.

Vito Cozzoli, President and CEO, Sport e Salute: “After last year's success, we are ready to host the BNL Italy Major Premier Padel again at the Foro Italico and experience the great emotions that only sport can give. We have bet on padel by placing two courts in the temple of tennis. For Sport e Salute, therefore, this tournament is particularly heartfelt, we were the first to have believed in it, the first to have appreciated the potential of an increasingly popular and inclusive sport in such a suggestive setting as the Foro Italico, where sport, art, culture and nature blend together. In the wake of the great record-breaking international sporting events, organized together with the Federations, we want to win a new challenge, always leveraging team play”.

Elena Goitini, BNL Chief Executive Officer and Head of the BNP Paribas Group in Italy: “BNL BNP Paribas makes its debut alongside padel as title sponsor of BNL Italy Major Premier Padel. A commitment that further strengthens the partnership with FITP in the year in which the Bank renewed its support for the Internazionali BNL d'Italia until 2028. Padel in Italy, as in other countries, represents a highly successful sporting phenomenon and is also a discipline that concretely brings inclusion and gender equality into the court, providing for the challenge between women and men in the same match. Also for this reason, padel and tennis are vehicles for sharing and communicating 'Positive Banking’, the strategy of the bank and that of the BNP Paribas Group that combines business with sustainability in all of its forms”.

Alessandro Onorato, Councilor for Major Events, Sport, Tourism and Fashion of the Municipality of Rome: “It is now clear that we no longer speak of "Padelmania" but of Padel-certainty. With 1.2 million players in Italy and 350,000 in Rome alone, where there are also 314 sports facilities and 1,500 courts, we can have no doubts. That padel is now one of the most popular sports is indisputable. For this reason, we are happy to host the second edition of the BNL Italy Major Premier Padel in the capital, which we are sure will attract many enthusiasts. Moving it from May to July allows us to change the flows of those who will take advantage of the event to also visit our city. We wanted to give visibility to this extraordinary event that we welcome with great enthusiasm. We have arranged for the presence of banners in the most iconic streets of the city and banners on the bridges of the Tiber in such a way as to create an event that embraces the entire city as much as possible”.

Elena Palazzo, Councilor for Environment, Sport, Climate Change, Energy Transition, Sustainability of the Lazio Region: “We are happy to support this important event, which this year, is enriched by the combined presence of men and women. We are thus preparing to attend a great show that will strengthen the already very strong bond between Lazio and padel. As an administration we intend to encourage the passion for this dynamic and fun sport which has the ability to involve players of different generations. We will do this by promoting initiatives and opportunities for everyone to get closer, especially for those who live far from larger city centers”.