The week from October 9 to 15, 2023 will be remembered forever in padel. The New York Grand Master of A1 Padel has brought down a wall that until recently seemed very high but that now opens up an infinite horizon of possibilities for one of the most rising sports on the entire planet. Of course, the United States, and specifically the Big Apple, are another story.
The tournament held by the circuit chaired by Fabrice Pastor has achieved an eternal photo for the sport of racquetball, but now the album needs to be completed with many more. That “dream” of the Monegasque in the best-known city on the planet has already come true, but the question that everyone in this industry is asking after these seven days of competition is: “And now, what?”
Allemandi and Aguirre, first champions in the United States.
Because the United States is not Europe. Not even South America. Not even the Middle East. Or anything like them. It is a complex framework in which A1 Padel has found a top ally such as the New York Yankees, the second most valued sports franchise in the world (more than 7,000 million dollars). The first step has been to settle in the iconic Wollman Rink, in the heart of Central Park, where the pickleball courts and the ice skating platform share the space throughout the year.
With a capacity for more than 2,000 people, the general feeling is that the big drawback has been the influx of people. On Sunday, with the semifinals and the final, the story changed and more than a hundred attendees enjoyed the three matches. “There is always a first time,” Fabrice Pastor told this newspaper several weeks ago when asked about the questions of the public in the stands. A clear, realistic message, but one that must be worked on to evolve, as the majority of attendees at the event acknowledged to this newspaper.
The Yankees factor and Levine’s normalcy
An important ‘leg’ of the project and the future development of paddle tennis in New York and the United States are, without a doubt, the New York Yankees. A giant that transcends beyond sport (“Who doesn’t have one of his hats?” Pastor said during the week) and whose role as a catalyst seems key.
The Yankees-A1 Padel symbiosis was reflected throughout the tournament. And not only because of that paddle tennis circuit logo printed on the aforementioned cap, but simply because of the mere presence of Randy Levine, its president. The 68-year-old New York lawyer walked with astonishing normality through the Wollman Rink to the astonishment of the A1 Padel workers and the press who had traveled to American soil.
Randy Levine and Fabrice Pastor.MARK
“This guy is like Florentino Pérez, he is the owner of the second largest sports franchise in the world and he is walking around here as if nothing had happened,” was heard several times among the media about the AC Milan manager. In fact, he attended the press in an improvised press conference with Pastor in which he emphasized his commitment to paddle tennis, making clear the speed to follow from now on: “We are going step by step, we think about the next ten days, no in the next ten years. Big projects, if they go slowly, go straight.”
Break the ice in the most famous city on the planet
“It is a dream come true to be able to be the first,” Fabrice Pastor explained to this newspaper in advance of the New York event weeks ago. And that, probably, could be one of the headlines of this New York Grand Master. Because the general feeling among the workers of this circuit with whom MARCA has been able to speak is that, that of having been pioneers.
Arce and Dal Bianco undergo the MARCA Test
With hardly any time to fully savor what this event entailed, the majority of members of A1 Padel could not get over their astonishment – “Are we really here?” – when they looked up and observed the beautiful image of the red 20×10 over Central Park and its large buildings behind. For them, having been part of something like this is something they will never forget.
However, and after the enormous work all week by the organization to fight against the elements, mainly rain and humidity, the message for the next dates is clear: “It is the first stone. Maybe New York will A tournament like this has come too soon, but someone had to break the ice.
The complexity of the market
Now, after having taken the first big step, the unknown remains as to what will come from now on. In a sport that advances at full speed like paddle tennis, it seems difficult for fans of this sport to be able to calmly chew Levine’s words in which he appealed for calm to establish this sport in the United States. “Supply should not exceed demand, we should not make that mistake,” explained Santiago Gómez, owner of the first padel club in New York, to MARCA during the week.
Image of the Wollman Rink in Central Park with the paddle tennis court.MARK
The feeling of the media present at the North American event mixed the expectation to see what the establishment process of paddle tennis will be like not only in New York, but in the other 51 states, with the feeling that, whatever happens, it will happen. What A1 Padel has done will always be remembered.
“There are several things still to be polished, such as the public. It has been a good tournament in general terms but there is a desire to see how, with the help of the Yankees, a new business model can be established in such a complex country,” it was commented in the press area.
The walls, the track exits and the public
MARCA was able to feel out the public that came to the Wollman Rink during the week of the tournament. With several areas of free access, most attendees were surprised when they saw paddle tennis for the first time. Many confused it with pickleball and even wondered if it was an exhibition of a derivative of tennis.
Questions to several fans who stopped by Central Park to see the New York Grand Master of A1 Padel
“I don’t understand the thing about the walls,” was the phrase probably most repeated among those who, astonished, discovered for the first time a sport that is already the second with the most federation licenses in Spain. Of course, always with a smile on his face and commenting with those close to him about the most spectacular plays such as the runs off the court and the shots that ended with the ball off the field of play.
All this is nothing more than a reflection of what is to come. A hard job ahead to establish a sport in a society that, practically in its entirety, does not even know it, but that has all the ingredients to do something great. The years, probably the decades, will tell that, but what is clear is that the first -big- step has already been taken. If you add the ingredients of patience and passion (the first, almost non-existent in paddle tennis, and the second, essential), there are reasons to smile.
2023-10-18 17:15:01
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