Padel is the next big thing
Everyone in the United States is playing Pickleball. Everyone! Yet I think a sport that is fairly new to the United States, padel, is set to eclipse the growth rate of pickleball.
Padel is a sport that looks like a combination of tennis, pickleball, and squash. It features a lightweight, high tech padel racket with carbon fiber, and a slightly softer tennis ball.
Padel and pickleball are also very different. Padel vs pickleball is a common question. In short, pickleball uses a different ball (whiffleball), and you cannot use the walls. By using the walls in Padel, you create an entirely more complex sport. It also is a little more dangerous- it is possible to run into the wall in padel!
I think padel is going to grow extremely fast for a few reasons
- The vibes are very cool. Traditionally, padel has been played by folks from Latin countries who emphasize the style of the sport
- It’s fast paced. It’s faster paced than tennis or pickleball, with more complexity with the ball regularly bouncing off of the wall. Players can even run off the padel court to return a ball! It’s a high adrenaline sport
- It can be played outdoors
- It’s a team sport (played 2v2), so it’s very social and great for friends and family to play together
- It has cool terminology like in this padel dictionary!
- The gear is awesome
Currently, there are over 25 million padel players worldwide, but under 1 million in the US. That will change quickly. There are cool padel clubs coming online in places like Miami and New York.
I would bet that within ten years, there are over 10 million padel players in the United States. Furthermore, celebrities like Christiano Ronaldo and Roger Federer love playing padel. You might, too!