MADRID, 18 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Justice has dismissed the request of the organizers of the World Padel Tour for precautionary measures to stop the implementation of Premier Padel and prevent players who wish to do so from also competing in the new circuit.
As indicated by Premier Padel this Friday, the Madrid Commercial Court no. ), Qatar Sports Investments and seven individual players for unfair competition since it considered that the players should participate exclusively in its circuit.
“This week’s ruling in Madrid is just the latest unsuccessful and detrimental result for WPT. WPT also requested an injunction in order to stop the Premier Padel circuit, which according to WPT,
among other things, it violated the obligations of the players to participate exclusively in all WPT tournaments according to their contracts with the organization”, they stressed from Premier Padel.
The new circuit regrets that the owners of the World Padel Tour want to “prevent open competition and maintain their decade-long monopoly on professional paddle tennis circuits” and recalls that “the current contracts” that it has give it “almost absolute control of the sport of paddle tennis, due to the combination of the exclusivity of the WPT, the restriction periods and other legal measures, which makes the existence of other tournaments impossible”.
For the new circuit, “professional paddle tennis players have every right to seek opportunities and better conditions in other circuits”, stressing that their measure to improve the conditions of these “is not illegal”.
“The existence of the WPT as a tour should depend on open competition, not on pressuring players to abide by exclusivity,” he warned, pointing out that in his case, on the other hand, “it does not impose exclusivity or restrict WPT, with players who play
regularly in both circuits” and that the more ‘traditional’ circuit “has even increased its calendar” since Premier Padel appeared.
The organizers of the WPT offered a new proposal to its participants last October, to which they would withdraw the lawsuits filed if they adhered to their new project, which would no longer have to have the exclusivity of playing only their calendar.
“The new WPT offer to players demonstrates that said
exclusivity is neither a support for competition, nor is it necessary to organize an international paddle tennis circuit. The offer to withdraw legal action against players if they renew with WPT demonstrates in itself that their participation in other circuits is not harmful
for WPT”, warned Premier Padel in this regard.
On the other hand, the new circuit believes that this sentence will serve the European Commission in the “independent” study that it is carrying out of “a complaint in relation to the anti-competitive behavior” of WPT “by virtue of European legislation and its exorbitant legal claims against the players and others involved in Premier Padel”.
In addition, it highlights that the separate arbitration filed by the WPT against the players, which sought 25 million euros in damages, has been suspended, and that Setpoint Events, owner of the WPT, also lost an interim hearing in that case, which blocked its attempt “to pool their claims against the players and by requiring more than 70 separate cases instead.”
Alejandro Villaverde, general secretary of the Professional Players Association (PPA), admitted that professional players “have really faced unfair legal attacks
during the last year” and that this latest opinion “demonstrates that the rule of law always prevails”, remarking that his association “will remain firm in defending the rights of players to open competition, freedom of choice and decency basic professional”.
For his part, Ziad Hammoud, member of the Premier Padel Board of Directors, celebrated this sentence. “The actions of the WPT are the antithesis of responsible sports administration and go against supporting the global development of a sport, the freedoms of the players and their well-being,” he said.
Finally, Luigi Carraro, president of the International Padel Federation (FIP), believes that this has been a “definitive step for anyone who has doubts about the future of padel.” “The ITF lost its hostile vote to acquire paddle tennis and WPT has resoundingly lost its latest legal case seeking to impose its monopoly,” he asserted.