PPA at press conference: the key points of their confrontation with Premier Padel

A few minutes ago, the press conference of the PPA that was announced yesterday concluded. It took place in a room in La Ciudad de la Raqueta with dozens of media covering the appearance and the respective journalists asking their questions. We are going to explain everything in chronological order and grouping together the most relevant points:

First Premier Padel took the floor

Just two hours before the appearance, Premier Padel announced that it will restore the format of the 2024 tournaments, acceding to one of the main demands of the players.

This change means that the P1 and P2 tournaments will once again have the same number of couples as last year, and the first four seeds will play in the first round.

The most important points dealt with in the press conference of the PPA

Álex Ruiz, Fede Chingotto, Martín Di Nenno, José García Diestro and the PPA’s lawyer were present on stage. As president of the Association, Ruiz opened the hearing with a speech aligned with the players’ demands.

The question and answer session lasted longer than expected, with moments when the message seemed to be repeated. However, several key points emerged from all the rhetoric:

• Review of the contract signed in 2022. The players admit that they do not know in detail what they signed at the time, as the agreement was concluded in the middle of the legal battle with World Padel Tour. They claim that the 100-page contract contains contradictory points.
• Greater participation in decision-making. They demand to stop being a merely consultative body and to have more weight in the measures adopted.
• More professional conditions in tournaments. They are asking for improvements in Player Service and more stability in calendar planning.
• Fewer compulsory tournaments. They are seeking to reduce the number of tournaments that count towards the rankings in order to have more decision-making power over their competitive calendar.
• Clarity in the FIP-Premier Padel relationship. They point to a conflict of interest with Luigi Carraro, president of the FIP and, at the same time, vice-president of Premier Padel.

These last two points are not only the most critical, but they represent the core of the conflict. The players have openly admitted that they do not know for sure what they signed in 2022, a contract they signed in a hurry because of the 25 million euro lawsuit that World Padel Tour had against them. This lack of knowledge explains the current chaos: neither the PPA nor Premier Padel have a unified version on something as fundamental as the obligation to play P2 tournaments.

According to the players themselves, the contract is over 100 pages long and contains contradictory clauses, which has led to a situation where no one is clear about what the commitments really are. However, at the same time, the PPA is demanding greater decision-making power, which clashes with the uncertainty about what they have already signed.

But the problem goes far beyond the contractual conditions. The real sticking point and the players’ biggest concern is the obvious conflict of interest within the power structure. Luigi Carraro, president of the FIP, is also vice-president of Premier Padel, making the International Federation both judge and party within the circuit.

For the PPA, this means a complete imbalance in decision-making. The feeling in the changing rooms is that, whatever happens, it will always be a ‘two against one’. Premier Padel and the FIP are aligned in the same direction, while the players are systematically disadvantaged.

And with this scenario, a solution seems further away than ever. Both parties insist that they are willing to negotiate, but nobody is taking the initiative. The deadlock in professional padel still has no clear way out, and the war between the players and the circuit threatens to spread much further than expected.