Milestone for padel sport: flagship event in the Active City Arena
For three days, the Active City Arena in Hamburg became a padel stronghold. From Friday to Sunday, the German Padel Tour (GPT) stopped at the Heiligengeistfeld, where the German padel elite played exciting matches. Anyone who wanted to be on the court could try out this rapidly growing sport.
by PM
last edit: Sep 22, 2023, 09:10 am
For the first time, the German Tennis Federation (DTB), which has also been responsible for padel since the beginning of 2022, organized a GPT tournament. DTB Vice President Dr. Sebastian Projahn visited the event and draws his conclusion: “We had three days of great atmosphere and two extremely exciting and high-class final matches - and the most important thing: we made padel known and tangible. People who had had nothing to do with padel before and held the racket in their hands for the first time didn't want to put it down again. Thanks to the low barriers to entry, they immediately had fun and left the pitch with a big grin.”
The sporting entertainment factor was also high. In the women's final, Luciana Renic and Patricia Grove won against Chiara Kampschulte and Milla Blaschke 7:5, 6:4. Renic and Grove, both German national players, after winning the title: “We are happy about the victory, especially because we had a few problems on the court with the wind and our game. But when it mattered most, we were there and we're delighted that we won. We are already looking forward to the World Padel Tour. We both have full-time jobs and that's where real professionals start. Let’s see what happens for us.”
The two winning teams not only received a prize of 1,250 euros, but also, among other things, a wild card to qualify for the World Padel Tour (WPT) event in Düsseldorf, where the international elite will compete.
Johannes Lindmeyer and Matthias Wunner have also secured a place for the qualification in September. Germany's best padel duo won the title in Hamburg with 4:6, 6:4, 10:8 in the men's competition and thus the WPT wildcard.
The two World Cup participants didn't have an easy time against Vincent Jülich and Daniel Lingen - after all, there were four German national players on the Generali Center Court in the final. The reigning German champions said after the game: “It was quite an up and down. In the match tie break we were even behind by a double break. We’re so glad we got the thing.”
After the flagship event in the Active City Arena, more padel highlights await the German top team in the coming months: “The fact that the Word Padel Tour is coming to Germany is a huge milestone for the sport. Of course we hope that many German fans will be at the start in Düsseldorf and support us. Now there's an intensive week of training before Team Germany heads to the European Games in Krakow. We are super proud that we can represent Germany there.”
The DTB also has a lot on the agenda in the padel area in the near future. Together with the consulting partner padelBOX, the association is working on professional structures for the emerging sport. A lot will happen, especially in terms of infrastructure expansion, gaming operations and training. In order for the active padel community to continue to grow in Germany, sufficient padel courts are necessary. From autumn 2023 there will be DOSB-recognized training and further education offers for trainers. Official league play is scheduled to begin in 2024. “German tennis clubs are open to expanding their offerings and thus addressing new target groups. Many clubs recognize that padel is an opportunity and we want to support them. Padel should develop independently but in close connection with the tennis community,” says Dr. Sebastian Projahn.