Final 8 officially opens in Doha. Carraro to the Players: “Be proud to be here, this is your victory”

The parade of athletes and flags, the emotion on the players’ faces before stepping onto the court for a historic event: the first edition of the FIP Asia Padel Cup has been officially inaugurated at the Khalifa Tennis and Squash International Complex in Doha. The tournament, which began last Friday with the Phase 2 qualification stage, will continue through to Friday with the Final 8. A total of 31 teams from 17 countries took part in the competition, with 16 teams — eight in the men’s draw and eight in the women’s — advancing to this decisive stage. The event is organized by the International Padel Federation (FIP), the Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF), and Padel Asia, marking a new chapter in the history of Asian padel.

“We are proud to host this competition – said Tareq Zainal, Secretary General of the Qatar Tennis Federation and President of Padel Asia –. Asia is united by its great passion for padel and by fair play. I would like to express my gratitude to the International Padel Federation and its President, Luigi Carraro, for their collaboration, support, and trust in organizing this event. I thank all the national federations and our partners, and I wish every team good luck and success. Welcome to Qatar”.

“It’s a great pleasure for me and for the entire padel community to have you all here – declared FIP President Luigi Carraro –. Thirty-one national teams from 17 countries are participating in this historic first edition of the FIP Asia Padel Cup. Asia and Oceania are leading our new world, which is why we launched this competition with a new format with Phase 2 and the Final 8 and I’m confident that next year we’ll have Phase 1, Phase 2, and the Final 8. I want to thank Qatar, which since 2021 has hosted many outstanding events every year. I thank the Qatar Padel Federation, its President Nasser Al-Khelaifi, and the Secretary General Tareq Zainal, President of Padel Asia, one of the three continental institutions we have created alongside Padel Europe and Padel America. I also thank Koji Nakatsuka, Executive Director of Padel Asia, the entire Padel Asia board, and all the member countries for their incredible work in developing padel. My gratitude also goes to the staff of the Qatar Padel Federation, to everyone working day and night to ensure the success of this event, organized not for business, but out of passion for this sport”. 

“I want to thank the International Padel Federation: we started as a team of just three people, and now we have 50 working across offices in Rome, Lausanne, and Madrid and we hope to open new ones soon in Asia, America, and Africa. Thank you all for working to make padel the best sport in the world. Finally, you players are the heart of this sport. For me and for the entire FIP, it’s emotional to see you here, motivated to win. I ask you to play every point to win. Being here is already your victory, you’ve already achieved your goal”.