Padel Star Lebron Not Feeling the Pressure Ahead of Inaugural Dubai Premier Padel P1
Spanish padel star Juan Lebron, for so long the global face of the world’s fast-growing racquet sport, is thrilled to be back in the Emirates after numerous recent ambassadorial visits and cannot wait to get his campaign underway at the inaugural Dubai Premier Padel P1.
The week-long tournament runs until 10 November at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, with the world’s best players – including men’s World No1 Arturo Coello and women’s World No1 Ariana Sanchez Fallada – competing for a share of a €470,000 (Dh1.88 million) prize purse.
Lebron, a four-time Premier Padel winner, is currently ranked World No5. Sponsored by Red Bull and one of the most recognisable names on the sporting circuit, he has visited the Emirates several times helping raise the profile of padel in a country where adoption at amateur level is booming. Yet he dismisses the idea that his raised profile puts more pressure or responsibility on his shoulders.
“I know how much the game is growing here in Dubai and I have always been made to feel very welcome,” he said of the UAE, which is home to 30 per cent of all padel courts in Asia. “I’m looking forward to playing in front of the local fans here in Dubai and hope to put on a good show, but I don’t feel any added responsibility.
“On the contrary, I am very grateful that I am always invited during my holidays, so that I can contribute to the growth of padel here and promote the padel industry across all the Emirates. I see the level and the organisation of events here and I must congratulate all of those involved. They are doing an excellent job, growing the sport a lot, and sincerely I’m very happy that all this is happening.”
Lebron has history at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium having played in the FIP World Championships in 2022 and, as he prepares to return to the venue once again, teammate Di Nenno believes it is only a matter of time before padel explodes globally and starts to reach the levels of interest that tennis enjoys.
“We need to remember that padel has only been around for 30 years, whereas tennis has been around for more than 100,” Di Nenno said. “Of course, I hope it doesn’t take 70 years to reach that level, but we can see huge growth in the past 15 years and even more so in the past five or six, so I think that organic growth will continue. Tournaments like this week in Dubai are crucial to global growth so we are excited to play here and play our part.”
Delfi Brea, the women’s World No5, added she and teammate Beatriz Gonzalez Fernandez are looking forward to playing on Centre Court having trained across all five custom-built match courts already this week. “It is amazing to be here and I’m sure we will enjoy it a lot,” said the Argentine, who will face Marta Talavan and Juliet Evangelina Bidahorria in the Round of 32 on Wednesday. “It’s an amazing complex and so good to have everything all together – the hotels, the courts – it makes a big difference.”
On those same courts on Tuesday, UAE wildcards Sergio Icardo and Francisco Jurado Sosa lost in straight sets 4-6, 6-7 to Egypt’s Mohamed Aboulkassem and Youssef Hossam under the lights. Meanwhile, Spanish qualifiers Mario Huete Hernandez and Fran Ramirez Navas took just 50 minutes to book their spot in the round of 32 with an emphatic straight-sets 6-3, 6-0 victory against fellow wildcards Fares Al Janahi of the UAE and Argentina’s Julian Lacamoire.
The week-long tournament, which will take place under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Sports Council, is a collaborative effort supported by the UAE Padel Association (UAEPA), the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), Dubai Sports Council (DSC), Premier Padel, and Gallop Global.
Tickets are on sale now at PlatinumList.net priced from Dh60. For more information visit dubaipremierpadel.ae.
Last Updated on 2 months by News Desk 1
