SA Padel Invitational to bring global stars

The first South African Padel Invitational is just the start.

If organisers have their way, the country could see a proper ranking system, player development pathways, and even a future bid to join the global P1 tour.

It’s an ambitious vision, but the team behind the event said it’s needed to take padel from a trendy pastime to a recognised, structured sport locally.

“What is the next step for South Africa?” one audience member asked during a Q and A with organisers. “Can you come together, hold an association, and have a proper ranking system? Because today, you can say the number ones are the ones who win the local leagues, but is that accurate?”

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The organising committee team member, Mohammed Saloojee, said it was a fair question. For now, South African padel has pockets of serious talent, but no unified national body or fully official rankings.

Having worked in local sport for years, Saloojee didn’t sugar-coat it.

“Sports administration is an absolute crocodile pit. We don’t want to be the ones starting an association, but we are building the blocks of an entire ecosystem.”

According to Saloojee, that means putting structures in place for youth, intermediate leagues, elite performance, and top-tier professional play.

He said that data analysts and official partners were already gathering statistics on players and tournaments to shape a credible ranking system.

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“Whether that becomes sanctioned or not, we need the politicians and the administrators to get behind it. From our perspective, we are about doing, not so much about talking.”

Saloojee pointed out that the next two to three years would be critical.

“We believe we will have enough data and structure to push for Olympic recognition, but we have to get this right. We might not lead the charge alone, but we will be part of it.”

He elaborated that for now, all eyes were on making this invitational a success, which could strengthen South Africa’s bid for bigger events.

“If we can manage to pull off an event with a good crowd and atmosphere, like 8 000 people per day, that gives us leverage with players, agents and global tour organisers,” said fellow committee member Mohammed Majam.

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They believe a strong turnout will open doors for South Africa to become a regular stop on the padel circuit.

“It sets us up for real conversations with the FIP about having Johannesburg as a destination. We do love to see this become a P1 event in future, not just an invitational,” said Majam.

For now, they are focused on delivering a festival experience at the DP World Wanderers Stadium, complete with DJs, local food stalls and tight crowd logistics.

The padel court has been carefully planned to meet international standards, from sightlines to run-off space.

“We have marked every possible seat to make sure fans get the best exposure to the action,” said committee member Sarfraz Bismilla.

Event details: August 15 to 17 at the DP World Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg.

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