See you later, tennis! How paddle tennis conquered the world

It’s 6pm on a warm September afternoon and I’m heading to the Marbella Club in a mud-spattered Toyota Hilux, a van built for work, not valet parking. I’m here for my first match of padel, a racquet sport considered tennis’s rebellious little brother thanks to its relaxed dress code and emphasis on socializing (it’s always played in doubles).

You may not have heard of pádel (pronounced “pádel”), but you’ve almost certainly heard the cacophonous thud engendered by the game’s approximately 30 million players. The Princess of Wales is a fan. So is Stormzy. Now it is the second most popular sport in Spain, only behind soccer. Andy Murray, who learned to play while training in Spain as a teenager and eventually invested in Game4Padelthe largest padel operator in the United Kingdom, has become. “I like that it’s fast-paced,” says the retired two-time Wimbledon champion. “You are playing a lot of balls at each point and you have to react quickly. It’s less about power and more about location. Coming from tennis, I appreciate that technical aspect.”

I like that it has a fast pace: you play a lot of balls and you have to react quickly.

The ClubMarbella It has a paddle tennis court and it is always full. I have to thank Hubertus von Hohenlohe for my initiation. Only his last name, engraved in the foundations of this hotel, could secure a last-minute slot on the track named after his father, Prince Alfonso von Hohenlohe, who is credited, in the early 1970s, with bringing padel to Europe from Mexico. . The court, about one-third the size of a tennis court, is surrounded by glass and mesh walls built to keep the ball bouncing during longer rallies. Unlike tennis, where an ace can nullify a point, in paddle tennis the softest ball almost always comes back: from the walls, from the racket and, for a beginner like me, from my ego. I figured I’d do it naturally, being generally athletic, but for the first 10 minutes I swing my racquet like I’m in a home run derby. I’m probably trying too hard to impress Hubertus’ partner: a blond hunk wearing Oakley glasses who just came out of central casting. Our fourth player, the hotel’s paddle tennis instructor, makes it clear that I have to tie my wristband to prevent my racket (and possibly someone’s teeth) from flying off. After 20 minutes, I’m hooked.

Meanwhile, the padel business It is turning out to be very lucrative. Hubertus has given me a t-shirt from a recent collaboration with Head to wear. Big players like Adidas and Nike have launched specific lines for padel, while dedicated brands like the Spanish Nox, the Italian Hirostar and the British Pulco are rapidly expanding their global presence. Joe Middleton, founder of Pulco, named in homage to the origins of this sport in Acapulco, describes paddle tennis as something youthful: “Paddle tennis is not what mom and dad did. “It’s snowboarding in Chamonix, not luxury skiing in Courchevel.” As for the aesthetics of the brand? “For women, no skirts; for men, collarless, and all our training shirts have hoodies,” he adds, underlining its relaxed and informal atmosphere.

The extravagant origins of paddle tennis date back to Acapulco in 1969, when Mexican businessman Enrique Corcuera, lacking space for a full-size tennis court at his home in Las Brisas, improvised by building a smaller version. Some say the walls were added to prevent his daughter from disturbing his afternoon naps.

Another account attributes the walls to a misunderstanding on the part of a contractor while building Corcuera’s friend Alfonso von Hohenlohe’s paddle tennis court in Marbella. As Hubertus remembers: “In the early 70s, after visiting the Corcueras in Acapulco, my father decided to build a similar court. He sketched a design with shaded areas for perspective, but the contractor mistook them for walls. “When my dad came back from a ski trip, the walls were already up.”

Those walls are essential for bouncing the ball – the most challenging aspect of the game. The same thing happened to Bobby Dekeyser, former Bayern Munich goalkeeper and founder of Dedon, the German outdoor furniture manufacturer. Overcoming his initial instinct to block every ball, he quickly fell in love. “It’s fun, nothing too serious, but you can still be competitive,” he says. In 2020, Dekeyser built an outdoor rink on his Ibiza estate. Two years later, he invested in PadelCity, a Munich-based company that aims to reach 100 facilities in Germany by the end of 2025. “From a financial point of view, it makes sense: you can fit two padel courts on a single padel court. tennis”.

Dekeyser’s story reflects a broader trend: padel is not only growing, it is exploding. In the last three years, the number of padel courts has increased to a total of more than 60,000 in 130 countries. It’s also become chic in the UK, where the Cotswolds enjoy “paddle parties” with live DJs on Daylesford Farm’s three new courts (neighbor David Beckham is a fan). The nearby members-only Estelle Manor hotel and country club has dispensed with tennis courts entirely in favor of paddle tennis. Haute couture is in: In February, Valentino collaborated with boutique padel center Matcha Club in Dubai. Now it’s possible to hit Prada balls with a colorful Pucci paddle.

Meanwhile, paddle tennis is creating a source of talent that is revolutionizing the world of professional sports. “There are more and more young, well-trained players with a bright future ahead of them,” says Juan Lebron Chincoa, the 29-year-old Spanish padel star. “The competition is getting fierce.” While Spain and Argentina continue to dominate (47 of the top 50 men’s players come from these two countries), Italy and Sweden are catching up. According to the Pádel Report 2024, of the 4,874 players in the FIP ranking, 1,362 are women.

“It’s a tactical game in which patience and strategy outweigh raw power,” says Laura Bailey, a HTSI collaborator and passionate tennis player. Although Bailey credits tennis for changing her life, the accessibility of paddle tennis has won her over. Unlike many sports, where a lack of skill can be intimidating, padel’s smaller courts and use of walls make both beginners and experienced players feel like they are in the same league. “It is inclusive and accessible to everyone. “I know young mothers who have forged friendships through their weekly paddle tennis games and young men who have exchanged their 5pm soccer games for paddle tennis,” he says.

Arnaud Frisch, the French nightlife entrepreneur behind Silencio in Paris, Ibiza and New York, is one of those fans. “Balancing my work with sport is difficult, but paddle tennis has been my gateway.” The social element certainly appeals to Frisch. After our Marbella Club game, Hubertus and I cooled off with a drink on the patio. Then he tells me about the newly opened Alfonso Hohenlohe Paddle Club in Treviso, Italy, while I reflect on paddle tennis as the ultimate icebreaker. “This,” Hubertus agrees, taking a sip of his beer, “is as much a part of the sport as the game itself.”