Tennis Star Andy Murray Launches Padel Team
Andy Murray launches padel team and reunites with his former coach to launch Team AD/vantage, which will enter the innovative new Hexagon Cup event in February 2024.
London, 17 November — Andy Murray is deepening his involvement in padel with the launch of Team AD/vantage, which has been revealed as the fourth confirmed franchise team to enter the innovative new Hexagon Cup tournament, taking place in Madrid in February, 2024.
The former world number one tennis player and multiple grand slam champion, who has already made an investment in padel in the UK with Game4Padel, is partnering with AD Global Sports for his latest sporting venture. Founded by Arran Yentob, and Dani Vallverdú, Murray’s former coach, AD Global Sports was set up to support the development of sports in the UK and globally.
Padel is the world’s fastest growing global sport, with conversations increasingly moving towards it becoming a future Olympic sport. Most of the players are based in Spain, where the Hexagon Cup will initially take place, which has over six million registered padel players. Whilst the UK is a newcomer to the padel market, with around 300 courts nationwide, that number is expected to grow exponentially over the next five years.
Born under the motto "For the Fans. For the Players. For the Game", the Hexagon Cup is an innovative new padel tournament, launched by the team behind Formula E, that brings together the world’s top male, female and next generation players, to compete together for an impressive €1 million prize money, creating an exciting team competition and a big show sporting experience for fans.
Another of the innovative aspects of the Hexagon Cup lies in its team model, in which each of the six teams will be chaired by a world-renowned figure from different sporting, business or entertainment industries.
Andy Murray, Co-Owner of Team AD/vantage, said: “I’m excited to become part of the ownership group for a team in the inaugural Hexagon Cup. I invested in Game4Padel a few years ago to help try and grow the sport in the UK – it’s already huge in South America, the Middle East and parts of Europe.
“I love the fact it’s easy to play, fun and social, so it will get people of all ages and abilities picking up a racket and giving it a go. I’m working with friends of mine at AD Global Sports, and together we’ll have fun over the next few years as we build a successful team and competition, while also helping grow the sport.”
Murray will help bring a new fan following to the tournament, which also counts the Rafa Nadal Academy by Richard Mille, RL9 by Barcelona footballer Robert Lewandowski, and a fan-led Hexagon Cup team as confirmed entries. Two final teams are being finalised and will be revealed next week.
In addition to Andy Murray, Team AD/vantage will bring in other ambassadors from the sports and entertainment space to support the team and add a UK flavour to the Hexagon Cup team roster.
Team AD/vantage Co-Owner Arran Yentob commented: “The chance to be part of this exciting new tournament, with the team at the Hexagon Cup who we believe in, as well as reuniting Dani and Andy, was an opportunity we couldn’t resist, and that we hope will prove just as successful.”
Dani Vallverdú was Andy Murray’s coach from 2010 to 2014, during which time Murray won his first Olympic gold medal at London 2012, and two Grand Slams at the 2012 US Open and the 2013 Wimbledon Championships. Vallverdú has also coached Tomáš Berdych, Juan Martín del Potro, Stan Wawrinka, and most recently Grigor Dimitrov.
Many of the Hexagon Cup advisors, who include Enrique Buenaventura, Alejandro Agag, Alberto Longo, and Simon Freer were part of the original Formula E founding team, and have sports disruption, innovation, and creativity built into their DNA. All are passionate about respecting the true heritage of padel, whilst using their collective sporting experiences to drive the fanbase for the sport to new global audiences.
Simon Freer, Chairman, Hexagon Cup, says: "It’s our honour to welcome Andy Murray, Arran Yentob, Dani Vallverdu and their Team AD/vantage entry to the Hexagon Cup. The goal of the Hexagon Cup is to celebrate the sport we love, whilst also growing its participation and popularity worldwide. Having such a sporting heavyweight as Andy involved will no doubt support our mission to take padel fever to new levels. We can’t wait to see this team take shape!”
Each of the six Hexagon Cup teams has selected two franchise players, a male and a female who act as team captains.
Team owners along with their franchise players, will select the team’s remaining four team mates; one male, one female, and two ‘next gen’ (under 22 years old) during the player Draft, taking place at the end of November. In a unique decision, the fans will have the final responsibility to choose the players who will make up the Hexagon Cup team.
During the tournament itself, the Hexagon Cup’s six teams will be divided into two qualifying groups, competing in a series of exciting head-to-head matches. Only the top two teams from each group will advance to the finals, where the inaugural Hexagon Cup champion will be crowned, with a prize purse of €1 million up for grabs.
The first edition of the Hexagon Cup will take place at the historic Madrid Arena, an ideal setting to create a great spectacle. The event will include an attractive Fan Village with autograph signing sessions, player training areas, live concerts, entertainment, shops, exhibitions, food trucks and fine dining options. World-class VIP hospitality experiences will also be on offer, all designed to provide sports and entertainment fans with a truly unforgettable experience.
Stay tuned for updates on social media channels and official announcements as Team AD/vantage’s journey to the Hexagon Cup unfolds.
About Hexagon Cup
Under the motto “For the Fans. For the Players. For the Game”, this revolutionary competition was born with the ambition of offering a new and disruptive approach, as well as the firm purpose of transforming the sport of padel. To do this, it has designed a completely new format in which six teams made up of three couples each (one male couple, one female couple and one made up of stars of the future) will compete to win a one-million euro prize fund.
The inaugural Hexagon Cup event will take place at Madrid Arena, in February 2024. For further updates follow @HexagonCup on Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.
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