The return of the A1 Pádel to Buenos Aires: renowned expansion and renewed quality

After a year of waiting and with a renewed calendar compared to last season, the Padel Axion A1 It is played again in Argentina in what corresponds to the fifth tournament of the international circuit. This Thursday, from the SUM of the Club Atlético River Plate headquarters, the press conference to present the Master was held with the presence of several candidates for the title, the CEO of the competition Fabrice Pastor and the organizer of the Buenos Aires event Gabriela Vaca Guzman.

The circuit previously recognized as American Padel Tour (changed name for this season) It is on the eve of the continuation of its pre-established calendar since the beginning of January. And given the success of last year’s championship, the Millionaire club’s microstadium reopens its doors to welcome all the athletes and spectators who want to watch the match which will start on May 9th until the 14th of the same month.

The room in which the conference was held had the maximum attraction of having Maximilian Arce AND Frank Dal Biancothe number 1 ranked couple, in addition to Adriano Allemandi (#3) and Augustine Tower (No. 7). Guzmán and Pastor also participated with them to open what would have been the return of the sport son of tennis in Argentina. Although this time with greater notoriety and strength of its own, similar to what it was in that decade of the 90s when it was the sport of fashion.

“Next week we will experience an exciting tournament of international quality and I am very proud that we continue to promote it together. We will have to feel and enjoy padel, which last year was already a success and I’m sure this year too because we have found much more support, enthusiasm and a team that works year after year to excel“, remarked at the beginning of his speech the organizer in charge of hosting the tournament in the city of Buenos Aires and who is also the wife of George Britopresident of the host institution.

He also highlighted the importance that paddle tennis maintains as a sport at a national level in recent times, adding: “It goes without saying that paddle tennis is re-emerging, it is much more. Today, paddle tennis is an established sport, internationally and mainly in Argentina, where we see that the paddle tennis courts are not enough and new clubs or complexes are constantly appearing“.

And the words of thanks from the CEO to Guzmán could not be missing for the way the event went: “This tournament is very important to me. I want to thank Gaby (Vaca Guzmán) and Jorge (Brito) as River’s announcement was something out of the ordinary. I hope this Axion A1 Padel goes on and on for many years“.

The 2023 A1 International Circuit kicked off in February in Cape Town, South Africa. Then followed Spain, France and Brazil, the stop before the arrival of competitive paddle tennis in our country. And what could be better for the tournament participants, most of them Argentinians, than to return home in search of a Masters category title after several months of constant travel.

“I want to thank Fabrice (Pastor) and Gaby (Vaca Guzmán) for giving us the opportunity to play at home, close to family, in such an important club for Argentina. For us this is an important bulwark in the circuit“, declared number 1 Arce.

“I want to invite all people to come and enjoy the best paddle tennis, filling the stands and experiencing how this sport is lived. It’s very nice to play in Argentina with family and friends present“said Torre when he had his turn to grab the mic.

In 2022 River was also one of the venues on the international circuit, remembered as one of the top-level tournaments thanks to several high-level matches that took place day after day in a packed stadium. However, none of the players present at the conference managed to win the trophy.

On the side of the duo who have been leading the world rankings for more than a year, they failed to reach the final and remained in the semifinals at the hands of the still reigning champions. Barrera-Britos, who will defend the title but with different partners. Meanwhile, Allemandi lost in the round of 16 due to injury, unlike Torre who was fired one round later.

The number 3 in the standings is the one with the most thirst for revenge. Despite losing the final to Brazil one game from victory, being eliminated for non-sporting reasons at an early stage of A1 Buenos Aires 2022 provoked Allemandi’s rage, which has been dragging on for a year : “I will try to play the best possible role. Undoubtedly, if we are talking about revenge, this is the tournament whose image I want to change. Revenge compared to the last tournament, not because I lost against great rivals (Arce-Dal Bianco). This doesn’t worry me because the conditions between tournaments are different and the environments and contexts change.“, he replied in a conference at clarion the 42-year-old player who has been able to be part of the World Padel Tour, the oldest professional padel circuit.

But all the bets and nominations suggest that this time it will be difficult for the title to slip from the hands of Arce-Dal Bianco, who lead the standings with ease. It is that they come from consecrating themselves in the 3 previous tournaments of this 2023 circuit”.We are very happy that Maxi (Arce) plays here and let’s see if we can insert the quartet since we come from a very good period“, explained Dal Bianca, currently 23 years old.

And his fellow party and rank-and-file, intending to shed the label of prime candidates, added: “What is happening in the circuit is very good. It is growing a lot and this implies an extra effort to improve as any pair can beat anyone. You have to stay with the alarms always on“.

The present that the couple has to live has its own explanations on which to base it. The quest to give their game an extra edge and leave behind several muscle complications they suffered due to high demands in late 2022 has led them to step up their training as professionals to another level. “We have a new physical trainer, we train many preventive exercises, we also change the nutritionist. There is a new integral diet that thinks not only of strength, but also of prevention, with integration and highly professional things. We have also changed a lot in physical preparation, above all we have increased the physical hours“, Arce said in an exclusive dialogue with clarion.

And from the growth experienced by many of its athletes, this also comes as a conclusion in the present that the A1 Padel circuit is going through in general, which is no coincidence. Leaving aside the improvement in terms of level of competitiveness – for example citing that the registrations for this tournament have doubled compared to last year – since the origin of the circuit three years ago, the investment that Pastor has made in The specifying the internationalization of paddle tennis through an ever wider and more extensive calendar means that little by little we begin to see the fruits. This is proven in the US where the New York Yankeesa well-known baseball franchise team, became a stakeholder in the circuit two months ago to foster its growth.

“It is one of the most recognized teams. It has bought shares in football clubs such as AC Milan. The president himself said ‘the Paddle Tennis Shield (as in saying the NBA) is A1, so it is difficult to explain how proud he is we are that among many options they have chosen A1 Padel“, Pastor contributed in the conference between slight smiles that let one perceive his happiness when he is aware that his circuit is far from reaching its roof.

Similarly, in one on one with clarion After the conference, the Spanish CEO said he still has no plans to stagnate with the 13 countries A1 will visit during 2023: “There is a lot of work throughout the year. We brought in the United States and opened up Africa, which was a complete success. This year I think Buenos Aires once again sets the pace for what we are doing as we have all the elements to make it the best tournament of the year. Next year we must try to make Asia, the other monster, the next target“.

Despite the presentation purpose of the event, there were not only words of analysis of the upcoming tournament, but also several announcements. On the side of the players, it was Dal Bianca who spoke to the media to give a scoop. “With Maxi (Arce) we became players of Montecarlo International Sport of this tournament“, ruled the Buenos Aires player during his first words at the press conference.

Montecarlo international sports is the sports club of which Pastor is also the managing director. With it, the now former padel player has managed to promote the development of his own circuit. However, despite the candidates for the tournament wearing his company name on their chests, Fabrice resisted revealing to the newspaper who would put a chip to win the title. “I can’t say anything. I have to be impartial“, commented the Spaniard as he let out a laugh.

The task of choosing the favorites has been left to the spectators attending the event. Furthermore, Pastor also praised the Argentinean public for the way they experience the sport: “Argentines live with such passion and fervor that every time I go to see a football or paddle tennis match I end up watching the best audience. We hope that the Argentinean fans will come and show that paddle tennis is lived differently in Argentina“.

As the managing director of the circuit suggests, the relationship between the A1 and our country is only at the beginning. Next week’s event may clarify that once again.

How to get tickets?

The official website of the A1 Padel It has all the information to get tickets. The second option, and faster, turns out to be through the page All access. Tickets have already been available since last week and there are fewer and fewer.