Premier Padel, the world’s foremost professional padel tour, a collaboration between Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), the International Padel Federation (FIP), and the Professional Padel Association (PPA), has named Eno Polo as its CEO. Polo’s appointment signals a new era for Premier Padel, marked by enhanced sporting development, commercial expansion, and global outreach. Commencing his role on November 16, 2023, Eno Polo will report directly to the Premier Padel Board.
Eno Polo boasts an illustrious career in the sports industry, including extensive involvement in padel and tennis. His journey encompasses key positions at Nike across Europe and North America, roles as President of Havaianas EMEA and North America, President of Global Brands Group Europe, and service as a senior consultant to FIFA. Notably, Eno Polo most recently served as CEO at LeDap Group, a global network of padel companies overseeing more than 120 clubs and over 700 padel courts worldwide. Since January 2021, he has also been a member of the Board of Directors of the ATP Tour.
In a groundbreaking development, QSI and FIP had previously disclosed the acquisition of the World Padel Tour (WPT) by QSI, with plans to merge Premier Padel and WPT into a unified global professional padel tour, aptly named Premier Padel. This merger, set to take effect in 2024 under the governance of the International Padel Federation, is subject to regulatory approvals. Eno Polo’s immediate focus will be on orchestrating this merger and then catalyzing Premier Padel’s evolution into one of the most dynamic, contemporary, and professional tours in global sports.
Premier Padel, launched only in 2022, rapidly ascended to become one of the fastest-growing tours in the world of sports. In its inaugural year, over 500 players from across the globe competed in Premier Padel tournaments at iconic venues such as Stade Roland-Garros in Paris. Premier Padel secured multi-year broadcast agreements spanning 180+ countries, reaching over 150 million households. The 2022 Premier Padel season garnered 22.7 million views on YouTube, and the tour welcomed over 110 prominent female professional players in March of the same year.
Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, Chairman of Qatar Sports Investments and Premier Padel, expressed his satisfaction with Eno Polo’s appointment, citing Polo’s extensive experience and understanding of elite global tours and player-centric initiatives as pivotal to Premier Padel’s future.
Luigi Carraro, President of the International Padel Federation, lauded Eno’s appointment as a significant step toward Premier Padel’s ambitious growth. As the governing body of Premier Padel, FIP is committed to expanding the sport professionally worldwide, with Eno’s expertise and his experience with various stakeholders in the sports industry, particularly ATP Tour players, deemed invaluable.
Eno Polo, the newly appointed CEO of Premier Padel, expressed his excitement about leading what he called the most thrilling project in world sport. He commended the remarkable achievements of Premier Padel thus far and emphasized the untapped potential of this world-leading tour. Eno Polo is eager to contribute his experience, energy, and leadership to propel Premier Padel forward, collaborating with stakeholders across padel, sports, and business to create something exceptional for professional male and female players, as well as everyone associated with the dynamic sport of padel.
