Two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has announced the launch of his own padel franchise, ‘Team AD/vantage’, in next year’s all-star Hexagon Cup.
The Hexagon Cup, which takes place in Madrid in February, is bankrolled by The Daily Mail’s venture capital sideline business DMGT.
The tournament sees six teams made up of three pairings each (one male, one female and one future stars) compete to win a €1m prize pool. Team owners and their two franchise players will select the remaining four team members during the draft, which takes place at the end of November.
Former world No.1 Murray’s team is co-owned by AD Global Sports’ Arran Yentob and Murray’s former coach Dani Vallverdú.
Other teams for the tournament include the Rafa Nadal Academy by Richard Mille, RL9 by Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski, and a fan-led Hexagon Cup team. Another two teams are set to be finalised this week.
Murray’s interest in padel is already well known after he invested in the UK’s largest operator, Game4Padel, in May 2019.
Ahead of the Hexagon Cup, he 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.”
Yentob said: “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.”
Simon Freer, Chairman of the Hexagon Cup, commented: “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!”
