Hexagon Cup, the padel tournament, has announced the addition of a seventh team to its second edition, set to take place from January 29th to February 2nd 2025, at the Madrid Arena: Krü Padel by Taktika, owned by Krü Esports, the esports club of Sergio Agüero and Leo Messi. The club of the acclaimed Argentinian footballers joins a roster that includes high-profile names that participated in the first edition, such as Robert Lewandowski, Andy Murray, Rafa Nadal Academy, Eva Longoria or María Esteve y Carlos López-Lay.

Krü Padel by Taktika is established as a sports division of Krü Esports, created in partnership with the experienced group Taktika Padel, based in San Diego, California, and led by Gabriel Pérez Krieb, Iñigo González, and Ryan Redondo. The initiative also benefits from the backing of the local platform Business Padel Tour, led by Guillermo Conde, a key figure in promoting padel within the business sector in Spain. While Messi is co-owner of Krü Esports, it will be Kun who takes the lead in developing this exciting sporting project in association with Taktika Padel.

“We are incredibly excited to expand Krü into such a dynamic sport as padel, especially alongside Taktika Padel. Hexagon is a platform that is taking this sport to another level, and we’re here to compete and give our best. The names joining our team, including two outstanding Argentinians, speak for themselves: talented players who make us proud, and we are pleased to support their professional development. This project is a new way of bringing Krü’s values to a wider audience, and we’re highly motivated by this challenge. We are confident that Krü Padel will rise to the occasion,” stated Agüero.

Gabriel Pérez, on the other hand, reveals that “we’ve closely followed the Hexagon Cup project and realised that only strong leaders could encourage us to join this effort. In our initial discussions, KRÜ Padel emerged as the ideal choice for us. We believe that sport is a catalyst for building a better and more positive world, just as Kun and Lionel have done throughout their distinguished careers. This is the spirit we intend to continue cultivating through this partnership. We extend our sincere thanks to the founders and franchise owners of the Hexagon Cup for this incredible opportunity.

One of the titans of world padel, Argentine Federico Chingotto, currently ranked No. 4, will serve as the franchise player and captain of Krü Padel alongside fellow Argentine Claudia Jensen, one of the youngest and most promising players on the circuit, known for her prodigious left hand. The team will be coached by former world No. 1 (2018) Maxi Sánchez, though the female coach is yet to be confirmed. Both Fede and Claudia already know what playing in the Hexagon Cup is like. In the previous edition, the world No. 4 stepped in at the last minute for Fernando Belasteguín “Bela”, who did not recover from an elbow injury in time, pairing with Capra for ElevenEleven Team USA, led by Eva Longoria. Jensen, meanwhile, teamed up with the current world No. 1, Spanish Ariana Sánchez, in Robert Lewandowski’s RL9 Padel Team.

The partners for Fede and Claudia, as well as the “Next Gen” team- this edition will be female squad- will be selected during the draft, which is set to take place at the end of October or the beginning or early November this year. In the previous edition, the best players from around the world signed up, leading to selections such as Franco Stuapczuk, Juan Tello, Jon Sanz, Coki Nieto, Juan Martín Díaz, Lucho Capra, Gemma Triay, Sofía Araujo, Claudia Fernández, Tamara Icardo, Alejandra Alonso, or Claudia Jensen herself. This process allowed fans to make their own selections (Juan Martín Díaz, Tamara Icardo, Alonso Rodríguez, and Pablo Cardona) through their votes on the tournament’s website to complete the Hexagon Team.

From the tournament’s management, its founder and board member, Enrique Buenaventura, states that he feels “very proud and happy to have KRÜ Padel by Taktika as part of the Hexagon Cup family. Both Sergio and Lionel, along with Gabriel, Ryan, and Íñigo, embody values we share and have allowed us to be aligned since we began to outline the project. This is a team that combines talent, knowledge, and a commitment to the growth of padel, perfect qualities to join Hexagon Cup. Together, we are going to grow padel and the competition to new audiences.”

For his part, Sergio Lewin, Operations and Sporting Managing Director of the tournament, states, “The inclusion of KRÜ Padel by Taktika demonstrates the type of growth Hexagon is committed to. It serves as a catalyst for the interests of major personalities and entrepreneurs who, through their involvement in Hexagon, will take padel to the next level.” He adds: “We are eager for the public to see everything we will achieve with KRÜ and its founders. The ideas that Sergio and Lionel bring from their experience in esports will be key in enriching Hexagon’s offering through their teams. It’s a clear example of how the modern sports industry is growing, combining features from different disciplines.”

Krü Padel by Taktika joins the Rafa Nadal Academy powered by Richard Mille, Team Bella Puerto Rico, Robert Lewandowski Padel Team, ElevenEleven Team USA, Advantage Padel Team, and the Hexagon Cup team itself, becoming the seventh confirmed team for the second edition of the Hexagon Cup, set to take place from 29 January to 2 February at the Madrid Arena. Before this date, another new team will be confirmed to reach a total of eight teams competing for the largest prize in the history of padel tournaments.