Barcelona was chosen to host the Estrella Damm Master Final 2022, the final of the World Padel Tour (WPT) circuit, which will be held from December 15 to 18 this year at the Palau Sant Jordi, known for being the most used Olympic facility in Barcelona.
This was announced by Jaume Collboni, first deputy mayor of Barcelona City Council, David Escudé, councilman of Sports of the consistory, and the president of World Padel Tour, Ramón Agenjo, after an event that took place in the same City Hall. It was also revealed that the possibility of Barcelona hosting the event for the next two years is being evaluated.
In other words, Barcelona could host the Estrella Damm Master Final until 2024, a fact that would consolidate this city as an international center of reference in this sport.
In the quest to break an all-time record
The final, which closes the 2022 course the week before Christmas, aims to break the all-time attendance record in a padel competition, seeking to surpass the figure of 10,000 people.
If this number of attendees is beaten, it would be validating the great future that is predicted for this sport, which is undoubtedly gaining more followers every day not only in Spain, but also in countries located in other continents. In addition, it would reaffirm the capacity of the City of Barcelona to be the scene of major sporting events.
Based on Collboni’s statement, who said that the practice of padel has increased considerably in Barcelona, thanks to the impact that the World Padel Tour is having in the city, it is possible that the Palau Sant Jordi will exceed the figure of 10,000 spectators.
The World Padel Tour is a consolidated circuit
The event was also attended by the tennis player Àlex Corretja, who joined the World Padel Tour as assistant to the President; the padel player Agustín Tapia, who is ranked third in the WPT ranking; and the padel player Alix Collombon, currently ranked 22nd in the tournament.
Corretja has expressed, once again, his desire to make the participants in the tournaments understand that the World Padel Tour is a solidified circuit and that it is destined to grow over the years.
Tapia, meanwhile, hopes that in the final of the circuit this 2022 the record attendance at the Palau Sant Jordi will be repeated, as happened in 2019. While Collombon reiterates her dream of playing a final and that the players are happy to play on equal terms with the men’s category.
More tests and awards
We have no doubt that the future of the circuit looks bright and will continue to attract more followers to the sport. Ramón Agenjo reaffirmed this, revealing that 2024 will have a minimum of 20 events and that the prizes will be increased in both categories. He also pointed out that for the World Padel Tour organization, equality and parity are unwavering principles.
Likewise, the president of the circuit assured that Barcelona will host the best tournament in the history of padel and did not skimp on predicting that the Palau Sant Jordi will have a capacity of more than 10,000 people.
Corretja also revealed that they are focusing their efforts on the creation of a new World Padel Tour, which encompasses a more ambitious and exciting project that can be realized in the medium or long term, or at least in the next five years.
Conclusions
The Estrella Damm Master Final 2022 promises to be an unprecedented sporting event in the history of padel, especially for the growth it has been presenting in recent years. After all, we are talking about an established circuit with 24 national and even international events, 19 countries host each of its tournaments.
Currently, the WPT is present in four continents: Africa, Asia, America and Europe. In fact, more than 100 countries have the rights to broadcast its tournaments on television channels, with an average of 2.8 million people watching the competitions live. From Hello Padel Academy, we believe that the record of more than 10 thousand attendees at the Palau Sant Jordi, is an eminent event. Given all the work that has been done by both the board of the World Padel Tour and the Barcelona City Council.