From Doha to padel via PSG: “We have been voted the best tournament on the circuit five times.”
Formerly a top 300 player on the junior tennis circuit, he changed direction due to a back injury. He reoriented himself towards refereeing at the highest level by becoming a gold badge. “I was the youngest chair umpire”, he laughs. At the same time, he was spotted by the president of PSG, Nasser al-Khelaïfi who is president and CEO of BeINSport and president of the Qatar Tennis Federation. “He made me marketing director of player services for the Doha tournamentconfides Adel Aref. We have been voted the best tournament on the circuit five times.”
I didn't even know about offside. I found myself dealing with stars like Neymar
In 2011, he followed NAK and moved to PSG where he held the prestigious position of director of the president's office. “I took care of everything related to Nasser al-Khelaïfi’s business.” He takes the opportunity to slip in an anecdote. “I was terrible at football. I didn't even know about offside. I found myself dealing with stars like Neymar. One day, the president asked me to be on duty in the evening because Ronaldo was arriving. I was thinking of Cristiano, but it was the Brazilian.”
Manager of his compatriot Ons Jabeur, he also works for the sovereign fund Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) which acquired PSG and the world padel. In March 2022, Premier Padel launched its circuit in parallel with that of the World Padel Tour. The period was hectic because the players were thrown between two entities. In September 2023, QSI bought the circuit to bring together all the players under the same banner.
Premier Padel is therefore experiencing its third season, but the first as the only international circuit. Adel Aref is present on the 24 stages of the year without forgetting the 'finals' in Barcelona. The Brussels stage is important because Premier Padel is experiencing its first tournament on European soil.
Brussels and its charms: “A magnificent and unique site”
In addition, the tournament is organized with class and elegance. We see that the director (Editor's note, Vincent Laureyssens) placed the emphasis on finesse and refinement.
Concerned about detail and in perpetual quest for perfection, the Frenchman fell under the spell of Brussels, my dear. “The first asset is this magnificent and unique site”he exclaims in a theatrical tone. “Such a frame is very rare on the circuit. In addition, the tournament is organized with class and elegance. We see that the director (Editor’s note, Vincent Laureyssens) placed emphasis on finesse and refinement. He gathered many guests. The hospitality is very careful. It feels like a museum.”
The public there: “An impressive turnout”
The third edition of Lotto Brussels Premier Padel confirms a trend. The Belgians love this show. The Tuesday crowds had already broken a record which was confirmed from evening to evening (Wednesday evening new record with around 10,000 people). “I am really very impressed”confirms the man who goes to all tournaments around the world. “In Venezuela, it is classic to see a lot of people on the first lap, but in Europe, it is rarer. In Brussels, the spectators responded from the first day of the tournament.”
The Belgian round has become a popular meeting place for players awaiting their arrival in the capital of Europe. The proof is that all the best in the world are present while usually a P2 brings together 50% of the top players. “The Belgian market is important to ushe confirms. We are in the heart of Europe. The president of the international federation, Luigi Carraro, came in person. Vincent (Laureyssens) invited many politicians and sportsmen such as the president of the COIB, Jean-Michel Saive. For us, it is essential to see all these personalities to promote padel.”
The challenge ? Olympic recognition: “We work on it every week”
This is the paradox of padel. It arouses great enthusiasm from practitioners and the political world, but it remains a very young sport which still needs to develop. Today, Premier Padel offers a quality comparable to that of tennis in terms of organization, but there is still a lot of work to be done. The first ? Olympic recognition. Adel Aref remains evasive on the progress of the negotiations. “We need this Olympic recognition. We work there every week. We travel to countries where the IOC is present. We are active with Premier Padel on all continents with four stages in Asia (Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and Kuwait), six in South America (Mexico X2, Venezuela, Paraguay, Argentina and Chile), thirteen in Europe (Belgium, Spain X3, France -Netherlands, Germany, Finland and Sweden) and one in Africa (Egypt).”
Conquering the world is the challenge of a sport which for more than 40 years was the exclusive property of Argentina and Spain. “We are working hard on development in Europe, the United States and Asia without forgetting Oceania. We have superb ambassadors around the world with, for example, in Australia, Pat Rafter. One of the strengths of padel is being able to count on influential personalities like Beckham, Zidane, Ibrahimovic, Messi, Neymar who was present in Riyadh at the start of the season. I am also thinking of Eva Longoria and so many others.”
Only time will allow us to find greater diversity in the top 100. Currently, only seven countries have placed a player in the top 100: 69 Spaniards, 19 Argentinians, five Italians, three Brazilians, two Chileans, one French and a Swede. “We need time. With the wild cards distributed to countries that organize tournaments, we will develop diversity. Local players get their chance.”
