Premier Padel Rotterdam is proud to announce that former Olympic field hockey star Fatima Moreira de Melo and former professional soccer player Rafael van der Vaart are the tournament directors of the prestigious P1 international padel tournament. Both sports icons will play crucial roles in preparation for and during the event itself, where the world's top 48 women's and men's players compete for the coveted title in Rotterdam Ahoy. Ticket sales for the tournament, which takes place from 9 to 15 September 2024, starts today at 10 a.m.

Fatima Moreira de Melo, with three Olympic medals in her international field hockey career, and currently ranked No. 48 in the Netherlands as a padel player, is currently preparing for the Senior Padel World Cup, which takes place in Spain in April. In addition to her experience as a player, she brings her rich background and dedication to the sport to another dimension as tournament director at the Premier Padel Rotterdam tournament. She shares her enthusiasm: "I am immensely looking forward to being involved in the Premier Padel Rotterdam tournament and combine my love of padel with organizing a professional event."

Rafael van der Vaart, former professional soccer player at clubs such as Ajax, Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur, and Guinness Book of Records holder in padel after his soccer career, adds: "As an avid padel player, I am proud to be involved in this prestigious tournament. Together With Fatima and the team, I want to create a great experience for players and spectators."

Marc Nipius, organizer of Premier Padel Rotterdam, welcomes the appointment of Moreira de Melo and Van der Vaart: "We are honored to welcome Fatima and Rafael as tournament directors. Their knowledge, experience and passion for padel will contribute to a successful event. We, as organizers, deliberately chose these two accessible former elite athletes, who have achieved the highest level within their sport and that aligns with the ambition we have with this tournament to be one of the best
 padel tournaments of the world."

Premier Padel guarantees world-class sport, with the tournament in Rotterdam as an absolute highlight.

The Premier Padel tour 2024 consists of four Major tournaments, similar to the Grand Slam events in tennis. In addition, there are tournaments in two other categories, P1 and P2, and Finals as the season finale. The P1 tournament in Rotterdam is an absolute highlight due to the grandeur of the event and all the top players in the world who will be present. Premier Padel and WPT merged into one worldwide professional padel tour early this year, under the supervision of the International Padel Federation (FIP).