Vinay Nayudu
Doha
The 64-pairs draw for the Ooredoo Qatar Major Premier Padel 2023 was held at the ‘new-look’ Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex on Sunday evening in the presence of top players and officials.
The tournament, the qualifying rounds for which are already in progress, will be held from February 26 to March 5.
Those present at the draw included Tariq Zainal, Secretary General of Qatar Tennis Federation and Ooredoo Qatar Major Tournament Director, Premier Padel Tournament Director Adel Aref, Ooredoo Qatar Major Supervisor Jose Luis Martinez, Qatar Tennis Federation Board Member Mohammed Al Subaei, Director of Sponsorship and Corporate Social Responsibility Ooredoo Ms Moza Al Muhannadi, and Qatar Tennis Federation Executive Director Saad Al Mohannadi.
Among some of the top players present were Jorge Nieto Ruiz "Coki Nieto” of Spain, Sanjo Gutierez of Argentina, Pablo Lima of Brazil, and Fernando Belasteguin of Argentina.
The €525,000 Ooredoo Qatar Major is the inaugural event of the 2023 season, as padel continues to go global with Premier Padel’s premium, professional and unmatchable events across South America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, gracing venues including the world-famous Stade Roland Garros and Foro Italico.
Premier Padel is the official global padel tour, governed by the International Padel Federation (FIP) and backed by the Professional Padel Association (PPA) and Qatar Sports Investments (QSI).
Premier Padel is also the only tour to offer official ranking points to players and ‘Major’ tournaments will earn the winners 2000 points.
The venue for Qatar Major, which just saw WTA and ATP tournament being held, has gone for a sea change with a new look and padel hoardings welcoming fans.
As many as 16 teams have been seeded for Ooredoo Qatar Major with Alejandro Galan and Juan Lebron of Spain being the top seeds having 27,080 rank points to their credit. Franco Stupaczuk and Martin Di Nenno of Argentina are the second seeded pair (14,915 pts).
Four teams have been given wild cards for the major tournament.
Speaking soon after the draw, Tariq Zainal, Ooredoo Qatar Major Tournament Director, said, "We have given wild card entries to four teams from Qatar since the level of Premier Padel is very high.
"The level of tournament is very strong and difficult since all the top players in the world they participate. The ranking of our players will not be reached this level of tournament as this is a highest category. And in the major, however, this will allow them to to get more points in the Premier Padel. Evetually, as they grow, they would participate without a wild card. We wish the teams the very best,” he added.
Meanwhile, Brazilian Pablo Lima who is on a swansong said he was delighted to be in Qatar.
Lima, who has announced that this will be his last year on the professional padel circuit, has been historically one of the best players in the World Padel Tour ranking and the best player in his country. He has been nicknamed "Canyon of Porto Alegre”.
Lima was No. 1 for three consecutive seasons from 2015 to 2017 along with Fernando Belasteguin.
Lima said, "And I’m honestly very happy. I would love to finish my career playing the Master finals and competing with the very best players. But this is my final year.
"I’m very grateful for the superb treatment here in Qatar and for all the people around. It’s probably the best tournament. Thank you,” the Brazilian added.
The Ooredoo Qatar Major Premier Padel will be broadcast live around the world in more than 180 territories on the likes of ESPN (South America, Central America, Mexico and Caribbean), Sky Sports (Italy, UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland), beIN SPORTS (MENA, South East Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Turkey), Viaplay (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and the Netherlands), Charlton TV (Israel), SuperSport (Sub-Saharan Africa), Canal+ (France & other global territories) and others.