Martita Ortega and Alex Ruiz join the Hexagon Cup as franchise players of the Rafa Nadal Academy team Powered by Richard Mille

This way, the Rafa Nadal Academy Powered by Richard Mille will have two Top-15 world players as franchise players.

 

Madrid, November 28, 2023 - Hexagon Cup, the new padel tournament whose mission is to transform the 20 x 10 sport, announces that Martita Ortega and Alex Ruiz, two widely recognized names in the padel world, have been signed by the Rafa Nadal Academy powered by Richard Mille team as franchise players to participate in the Hexagon Cup. With this news, the team's commitment and ambition are strengthened for the first edition of this innovative tournament.

  

Both Martita Ortega, currently ranked 4th in the FIP ranking, with 14 titles in her career and a two-time world team champion (2021 and 2022), and Alex Ruiz, a native of Malaga who holds the 13th position in the rankings, with 2 titles to his name and being a team world champion in 2021, have demonstrated their skill and talent on the padel courts throughout their careers. Their experience and success in national and international competitions make them ideal players to represent the Rafa Nadal Academy by Richard Mille team.

 

Maribel Nadal, Marketing and Commercial Director of the Rafa Nadal Academy, points out that "we are very excited to have Martita and Álex join our team. In addition to being two great players, for us the personal bond was very important as they both know the Academy well, they have been here several times and they love the project. We really liked their enthusiasm when we explained the Hexagon Cup project to them and they didn't hesitate for a second to join the team".

 

For her part, Martita Ortega declares that "I am very grateful to be able to be part of this team. For me on a personal level it's like a second family and it makes me very excited that they wanted to count on me from the beginning. We are always used to playing in pairs, but we really like the teams because you experience things differently. There is more pressure because you don't play only for yourself, but you have to play for a team, but at the same time you feel more supported. I think it's going to be a lot of fun. Besides, I know that in Rafa's team and his academy it's only worth giving everything and that's what we're going to do. Hopefully we can go all the way and win the title.

 

In turn, Alex Ruiz says that "I have always followed Rafa since I was a little boy and I am proud to be part of this team. I think the values that this academy transmits are very important and, as well as identifying with them, I try to transmit them on and off the court. I am a player who loves socialising, I am very social and I love playing as part of a team. I think the team competition is a very important step forward for padel, as the fans will be able to see other types of matches, and different combinations of couples that will be very attractive for the public. Hopefully we can take the victory!".

 

"The goal of Hexagon Cup is to become a tribute to padel and a prominent event on the global sports calendar where fans can enjoy the best male and female players in the world. Therefore, we are very excited to announce that two figures of the caliber of Martita Ortega and Alex Ruiz will be part of this great tournament," says Carlos Almazán, Hexagon Cup Sports General Manager.

 

 

An all-star tournament to take padel to another level

 

Born under the motto “For the Fans. For the Players. For the Game”, the Hexagon Cup is an innovative padel tournament that brings together male, female and Next Gen players (under 22 years of age), along with other prominent teams including the Rafa Nadal Academy powered by Richard Mille team, RL9 by the Barcelona FC footballer Robert Lewandowski, Team AD/vantage by legendary tennis player Andy Murray and ElevenEleven Team USA, owned by Eva Longoria and the recently announced Team Bella Puerto Rico, by Carlos López-Lay and María Esteve. Everyone competes for an impressive €1 million prize, creating an exciting team competition and an exciting experience for players and fans.

 

Each team owner has selected two franchise players who will serve as team captains. The addition of Martita Ortega and Álex Ruiz follows the confirmation of Alejandra Salazar and Paquito Navarro as franchise players of the Hexagon Cup team, while the rest of the players will be announced tomorrow..

 

Once the six teams and their franchise players have been revealed, the Player Draft will take place at the end of November, where the remaining players for each team will be selected. However, the Hexagon Cup team will have the exception that fans will be responsible for the final selection of players.

Team owners, along with their franchise players, will select four remaining teammates; one man, one woman and two "next gen" (under 22 years of age) during the Player Draft, which will take place at the end of November. In a single decision, fans have the final responsibility of choosing the players who will be part of the Hexagon Cup team, with this online draft currently open at www.hexagoncup.com, with final votes closing on Tuesday, 28 November.

 

During the tournament itself, the six teams will be divided into two qualifying groups, competing in a series of exciting head-to-head matchups. 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 pool of one million euros up for grabs.

 

The first edition of the Hexagon Cup will take place in the historic Madrid Arena during the month of February, an ideal setting to create a great show. The event will include an attractive Fan Village with autograph signing sessions, player training areas, live concerts, entertainment, shops, exhibitions, food trucks and high-quality dining.