Two-time heavyweight boxing world champion Anthony Joshua has joined the legion of celebrity team owners for the second edition of padel’s Hexagon Cup later this month.
Joshua has joined forces with tennis legend Andy Murray as a new co-owner of Team AD/vantage, the inaugural winners of the the Hexagon Cup last year. The 35-year-old from Watford is the latest global sporting icon to align with the event in Madrid, which takes place from 29 January – 2 February.
Joshua joins Murray, Murray’s former coach Dani Vallverdú and businessman Arran Yentob on the leadership of the British-owned team, as it prepares to defend its title later this month, lining up against seven other teams owned by Hollywood star Eva Longoria and sport stars including F1 driver Pierre Gasly, football greats Sergio Agüero and Lionel Messi, FC Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski and the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar.
The announcement of Joshua’s co-ownership of the AD/vantage team ensures a British-owned professional padel team is represented at the top of the sport globally, and can continue to support growth of the sport domestically and abroad. The news arrives at a time when the sport’s cultural appeal is exploding in the UK, with over 5,000 hours of padel being played every day across the country and the number of courts reaching 600.
Joshua is one of the most recognised athletes in the world who made his mark by becoming Olympic champion at London 2012 before going on to win two world heavyweight championships. He said: “The growth of padel as an international sport has been really impressive and interesting to watch so getting the chance to join Andy and the rest of the ownership team was an opportunity I had to take.
“I am looking forward to supporting the team as they defend their Hexagon Cup title in Madrid later this month and as they continue to grow and develop.”
Murray, Joshua’s Team AD/vantage co-owner, said: “Having Anthony join Arran, Dani and I on the team leadership is a huge win for us, and will provide us with momentum as we seek to defend our title in Madrid just weeks from now.”
Yentob added: “We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Anthony Joshua into the ownership group of Team AD/vantage. He embodies the qualities we value so highly as a team. His experience can help us build on our recent success on the professional side, and together with Andy, Dani and the rest of team AD/vantage, to further unlock the sport’s potential and bring a new set of players to the court.”
As with the inaugural edition of the Hexagon Cup, each team features three pairs: one male, one female, and one Next Gen pair. This year, however, the Next Gen category will spotlight young female talent, reinforcing the Hexagon Cup’s commitment to the future of world padel.
This means that the team line up for team AD/vantage will comprise global padel stars and defending champions Martín di Nenno and Juan Tello on the men’s side, Delfi Brea and Sofia Araujo on the female draw, as well as next gen stars Martina Calvo and Marta Borrero.
