Carraro: "The Rome Major a success, Sara Errani's wild card made us happy"

From the BNL Italy Major Premier Padel at the Foro Italico and the wild card for Sara Errani, to the CUPRA FIP Tour and Promises circuits for young players; from the pride of a “pure” system of combined tournaments for men and women to the Olympic dream, and the initiatives to involve amateurs with the stars of world padel. In an interview with the Ansa agency, the president of the International Padel Federation, Luigi Carraro, touched on several key issues in the world of padel and the federation he leads.

"We've built a circuit that is unique across all sports," he said about the combined tournament format. "There is no other sport that systematically combines men’s and women’s competitions". Carraro reaffirmed a key concept of the world padel system: "We believe in equality, and in padel, women are protagonists. The wild card given to Sara Errani (at the Major in Foro Italico) is proof of how much this movement is growing. Having such a player in our sport is a source of pride, and I’m certain this is just the first of many".

Ansa highlighted how Carraro's statements came after the news that Italy now has over 10,000 padel courts, and internationally there are 87 federations, expected to surpass 100 by year’s end. The goals are clear: to expand the base ever further, supported by the more than 300 tournaments of the CUPRA FIP Tour.

"They are the foundation for future Premier Padel players," Carraro explained. "Just like FIP Promises, aimed at youth development". So, to continue growing a Major like Rome’s, two things are needed: "Bringing fans and newcomers closer to the padel champions — who are still very accessible — and we are doing that," says Carraro, referring to the initiative of four courts split between training for champions and play for amateurs. "Rome will grow even more when we have top Italian pairs".

When will that happen, the Ansa journalist asked Carraro: "In four years Italy will have major successes in both men’s and women’s padel," continued the FIP president. "We have promising young talents and the Italian federation is supporting them with concrete programs," just like what happened with Italian tennis, now a global force. Then there is the Olympic dream to nurture: "But I won’t make predictions," Carraro stressed. "We already meet all the criteria to be an Olympic sport. But we must respect the work of the IOC, which considers more than just technical requirements. I believe that working in this way — with events that improve day by day — is the best path to becoming a five-ring sport. The IOC is evolving and knows that padel is a great opportunity, already broadcast in 242 countries".