Andy Murray Becomes Patron of Hexagon World Series, Boosting Padel's Olympic Bid

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  Sports and Competition on Wed, Dec 17th, 2025 by Daily Mail
      Locale: UNITED KINGDOM

Padel’s Olympic Dream Gets a Boost from Andy Murray and the Hexagon World Series

In an era when the Olympic programme is constantly evolving, a relatively young sport that has taken the Iberian world by storm is now looking to the Games as the next frontier. The article on the Daily Mail’s “Othersports” section reports that padel’s ambition has received a high‑profile endorsement: former Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has been named patron of the Hexagon World Series, a new series of elite padel tournaments that could serve as a launch pad for the sport’s Olympic bid.

What is padel?

Padel is a racquet sport that blends elements of tennis and squash. Played on a smaller, enclosed court that is surrounded by glass walls and mesh fencing, the game can be played in doubles or singles and uses solid, stringless racquets. The sport was invented in 1969 in Acapulco, Mexico, by Enrique Corcuera, and since then has exploded in popularity—especially in Spain, Argentina, and other parts of Latin America. More recently, the United Kingdom has seen a surge in padel clubs and grassroots participation, positioning the country as a potential hub for the sport’s global expansion.

The Hexagon World Series: a new format for elite competition

The Hexagon World Series is a novel, multi‑stage competition that promises to raise the profile of padel to a new level. The series is scheduled to run throughout the calendar year, with tournaments held in several locations across the United Kingdom and beyond. Each event will award points to players based on their results, with the highest‑scoring athletes earning a spot in the Hexagon World Series Finals—a marquee showpiece that will crown the season’s top performers.

The Daily Mail article stresses that the Hexagon World Series is more than just a calendar of events. It is an ambitious project designed to showcase padel to a global audience and to demonstrate the sport’s viability for inclusion in future Olympic Games. By creating a professional, high‑visibility circuit, the organisers aim to provide the International Olympic Committee (IOC) with the kind of structure and fanfare it looks for when considering new sports.

Andy Murray’s involvement

Former professional tennis player Andy Murray—who holds multiple Grand Slam titles, an Olympic bronze medal from Beijing 2008, and the world number‑one ranking in 2016—has long been an outspoken advocate for racket sports. In the article, Murray is quoted as saying that he is “thrilled” to be connected with the Hexagon World Series and that he sees padel as “an exciting, fast‑paced sport that can capture the imagination of a new generation of athletes.”

Murray’s endorsement is strategic. Because of his name recognition and his standing as a respected sporting figure, his involvement lends credibility to the Hexagon World Series and to the overall Olympic bid. His presence at the opening ceremonies of the first Hexagon event was already covered by a series of press releases and social‑media posts that the article links to, giving readers insight into how the event has been marketed and the reactions of both players and fans.

Why the Olympic bid matters

The IOC has a clear set of criteria that sports must meet to be considered for Olympic inclusion. Among these are global reach, gender equality, and a robust governance structure. Padel’s governing body, the International Padel Federation (FIP), has been working to demonstrate that the sport meets these benchmarks. By creating a professional circuit such as the Hexagon World Series, the FIP is providing evidence that padel can sustain high‑level competition beyond its traditional strongholds.

In the Daily Mail piece, a reference is made to the IOC’s “sports programme evaluation” process, which includes public consultation and feedback from national Olympic committees. The article notes that the Hexagon World Series will likely serve as a case study for the IOC, showcasing the sport’s commercial viability, its spectator appeal, and its inclusivity. For instance, the series features both men’s and women’s categories, and matches are streamed on major platforms, ensuring that audiences worldwide can watch.

What the future looks like

According to the article, the next step for padel is a “multi‑year strategy” that culminates in a bid to be part of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games or even earlier, if the sport’s momentum continues. While the Hexagon World Series is still in its infancy, the fact that a former world champion is now its patron suggests that the sport’s proponents are serious about turning padel into an Olympic reality.

The article also touches on the broader context: how other sports, such as karate, sport climbing, and skateboarding, have successfully entered the Olympic programme in recent years, often driven by younger audiences and dynamic formats. Padels, with its fast‑paced matches and indoor-friendly nature, could appeal to the IOC’s desire to diversify the sports roster.

Bottom line

The Daily Mail’s coverage highlights a pivotal moment for padel: a professional series, the Hexagon World Series, is being launched with the backing of a global sports icon, Andy Murray. The project is explicitly aimed at bolstering the sport’s bid for Olympic inclusion. While the path to the Games is still winding, the combination of a robust tournament structure, high‑profile endorsements, and growing grassroots participation places padel on a promising trajectory. As the sport continues to develop, it may soon find itself on the same grand stage that once hosted the tennis events that gave Murray his Olympic bronze medal.