The world’s best female players are openly excited about their first time in Miami for the Premier Padel circuit. This tournament aims to make a lasting impact in the U.S., led by former world number one and Argentine legend Fernando ‘Bela’ Belasteguin, who is here in the dual role of icon and tournament director. Bela has no doubts about the event’s success. “We’re happy to be here in Miami, and our passionate challenge is to bring our sport to success both in terms of spectators and new players, first here in Miami and, over time, across the U.S. We know it’s a big challenge, but it’s only a matter of time. Padel is an amazing, exciting sport, and we believe we can make it happen. In the meantime, it’s great that Miami has believed in us and allowed us to lay the first stone for the Premier Padel circuit here in the U.S.”.
The women’s tournament promises to be highly competitive, featuring the best players in the world. Among those participating in the Media Day organized by Premier Padel was world number 4, the young Claudia Fernandez: “This is my second time playing in Miami. I think one of the secrets to our sport’s success is its relative simplicity and how quickly you can learn the basics. Of course, it gets more complex later on, but trying it out on a smaller court than tennis, with a faster game that many find even more fun, is incredibly appealing. Anyone can play, which is why the number of padel players is growing rapidly in dozens of countries worldwide”.
Her teammate, Bea Gonzalez, confirmed this view: “Padel’s expansion is huge and happening incredibly fast. I’ve been on the circuit for nine years, and in the last few years, I’ve seen massive growth even outside of Spain. Our expectations here in Miami, at this amazing venue, are high. We’ve been playing well, bringing a lot of positive energy, and I believe we can do well here. This tournament is top-level, and the spectators will love watching it”.
Alejandra Salazar returns to a place that holds special memories: “I won here in Miami in 2022, and I have great memories of this city and that experience. The success of padel? It’s a mix of factors—the fast-paced game, the fact that it’s played in doubles, the smaller court, and the spectacular rallies. There’s a lot of athleticism, and players can even step out of the court to recover the ball. In that sense, it’s completely different from tennis. The growth has been huge in recent years, even in the U.S., and I believe that soon, the U.S. will reach the same level of participation and passion for padel that we’ve seen in Europe”.
Veronica Virseda, who will be playing alongside a former world number one, prefers not to make predictions about the tournament: “I want to be cautious; we have to take it match by match, staying fully focused from the very start. But we’re confident we can have a great week here in our first time playing in Miami”.