What can fans expect at the inaugural London Premier Padel P1?
• 2 minutes read
Over the last five years in Britain, we've witnessed padel transform from quirky imported novelty to mainstream participation phenomenon. The imminent arrival of Premier Padel is now set to take the sport's development here to a new level.
Premier Padel is the sport's official elite global circuit - and the London Premier Padel P1, taking place from 4-9 August at Olympia, marks the tour's debut event in Britain. Huge crowds are set to watch the world's best players in the flesh for the first time.
The 2026 Premier Padel calendar comprises 26 tournaments in 18 countries. Like tennis, there are four Majors (in Doha, Rome, Paris and Acapulco), plus 10 events at P1 level (including London), 11 at P2 and the season-ending Premier Padel finals. Each tier ascribes the players different levels of ranking points and prize money.
The venue: Olympia
London Premier Padel P1 is taking place at Olympia, an iconic west London venue which opened almost 140 years ago and has hosted a long list of significant cultural and sporting events in that time.
Olympia reopened in June this year after undergoing a £1.3billion transformation. It features a large glass rooftop canopy offering panoramic views of the London skyline, plus 2.5 acres of public space including an internal pedestrian street with its own postcode.
Who should British fans root for?
There’s a host of British interest on display at Olympia next week, with 12 British players have been given wildcards for the tournament, including seven into the main draw round of 32 (i.e. first round) on the first two days (Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 August).
Aimee Gibson and Catherine Rose, British No.1 and No.2 respectively, offer arguably the best home hopes of success as they target a maiden Premier Padel victory together.
On the men’s side, British No.1 Christian Medina Murphy, the world No.174, will partner with Spaniard Alberto Garcia Jimenez in the main draw. Two all-British partnerships will also be in action as Louie Harris and Alex Loughlan team up and Chris Salisbury and Alfonso Patacho join forces.
Meanwhile, more home favourites will be hoping to join their compatriots in the main draw as they prepare to contest the qualifying rounds across the first two days. British wild cards include Britain’s No.1 junior Ben Phillips who will compete alongside Jamie Lobo Wordsworth, along with Cameron Dollimore and Theo Garton in the men’s draw, and British No.3 Tia Norton who will partner Belgium’s Helena Wyckaert in the women’s qualifying.
What will the courtside experience be like at London Premier Padel P1?
Crowds on the Premier Padel circuit are generally louder and more relaxed than a comparable tennis tournament. At Olympia, there will be a spectacularly-lit central showcourt plus side courts that audiences can drift between at their leisure.
Off-court, there will be live music, premium food and drink, fan zones, and a vibrant social scene, keeping the atmosphere buzzing from day into night.
The event will be run Sela, international operator of sports, entertainment and live experiences. Sela has previously organised high-profile boxing bouts in London including Anthony Joshua v Daniel Dubois and Tyson Fury v Arslanbek Makhmudov.
To coincide with the event, London Padel Week is a week of special events around the city's padel clubs including social competitions, parties, live music, product tests, yoga, pilates and spinning.
At Olympia, the LTA will also be creating fun, interactive spaces for visitors during the P1, including an opportunity to test your skills on a fast-paced Interactive Multi-Ball Wall, a VR/AR padel experience, a kids' court and swingball stations.
These activations are designed to create an engaging and welcoming environment, giving fans the opportunity to play, compete, learn and experience padel away from the main show court action.
Who else should British fans look out for?
The cream of world padel will be vying for the men's and women's trophies. In the men's draw, Argentina's Agustin Tapia and Spaniard Arturo Coello have been the world No.1s for three consecutive seasons and will be undoubted crowd favourites.
Another Argentine, Spanish combo, Aljandro Galan and Federico Chingotto, are their fierce rivals, but it would be remiss not to mention the legendary Juan Lebron, who partners phenomenal smasher Leo Augsburger.
World No.1 women's pairing Gemma Triay and Defina Brea (another Spanish, Argentine combination) will be title favourites. Their main rivals are likely to be Spain's Ariana Sanchez and Paula Josemaria, and fast-rising Beatriz Gonzalez and Claudia Fernandez, also of Spain.
