By Sanam Yar
Padel with an epic view at Reserve Padel in Miami Beach.
It’s been called many things: tennis’s cool younger sister, pickleball’s posher, privileged cousin, and even the new golf. And rightly so: padel is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world. Invented in the 1960s in Acapulco by the Mexican businessman Enrique Corcuera, it really took off there in the ’80s, then exploded in popularity in Argentina and Spain in the ’90s. Its reach has even migrated to Scandinavian countries like Sweden.
Over the past few years, the sport has gained traction stateside, with roughly 350 padel courts in the country. But the beating heart of the padel boom in America is Miami. Even with an abundance of clubs relative to the rest of the country, an open court is still hard to find.
Why? Padel has become something of a social event. It’s easy to pick up, fun to play regardless of skill level, and as great for groups of friends as it is for networking.
Investors, seeing the sport’s potential, are pouring money into tournaments and opening more clubs. Both hotels and luxury residential developments include courts among their amenities: The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne offers padel courts, and in North Miami, a $4-billion community called SoLé Mia will house Reserve—an expansion of an existing group of exclusive padel clubs in Miami and New York.
Over the past few years, the sport has gained traction stateside, with roughly 350 padel courts in the country.
“Padel definitely has a reputation right now of being very international, very cosmopolitan, and very dynamic,” says Caitlin Thompson, cofounder of the tennis magazine Racquet. “You don’t have to have had a lifetime of being good at something to play this sport.”
Padel marries elements of tennis and squash: it involves an enclosed court with a net, and is usually played in doubles. It’s relatively easy to get the hang of: novices can start playing padel within their first session. But it blends that accessibility with athleticism—the size of the court is somewhere between a pickleball and tennis court, and you will sweat regardless of skill level, because it’s a fast game that requires players to pivot as the ball comes off the back wall. That makes it attractive to both racket-sport newbies and seasoned athletes.
“The crossover is almost automatic for anyone with any kind of traditional experience in racket sports,” says Marcos del Pilar, the former president of the U.S. Padel Association and the cofounder of North America’s Pro Padel League. “And people who aren’t interested in tennis now have another option which is easy to learn, dynamic, and social.”
Look the Part
Almost as important as where you’re going to play is your court-side look. We recommend starting with a few key pieces from Balenciaga, Brunello Cucinelli, Gucci, Chanel, and Todd Snyder to ease your way onto the court.
Miami’s perennially sunny weather and international community have made it a haven for local investment in the sport’s infrastructure. Del Pilar noticed a shift last year after putting together the Pro Padel League: “Suddenly all the courts were packed, and more investors were putting money into building more facilities.”
Many of the sport’s earliest adopters at local clubs were people who’d grown up playing the game. “We get people all the time that are on vacation from across Latin America and Europe and want to take lessons,” says Fernando Alarcon, head of sport at Miami’s Ultra padel club. In the past year, however, Alarcon estimates that the club’s visitors are now evenly split among tourists and residents. “Word of mouth is the number-one thing,” he says—followed by social media. “Almost everyone I see here is taking pictures and videos.”
Looking at the future of the sport, “I don’t think it’s a Florida movement anymore,” says Del Pilar. “It’s happening organically all over the place. At the end of the day, when you’re having fun, you tell everybody about it.”
Get a Grip
If you don’t already have a go-to court, visit one of these South Florida locations to get in on the padel action.
Open Padel Club, 7377 Riviera Blvd., Miramar, openpadel.club; Ultra Padel, 6301 NE 4th Ave., Miami, ultraclub.me; Wynwood Padel, 1932 NW Miami Court, Wynwood, wynwoodpadelmiami.com; Reserve Padel, 1000 MacArthur Causeway, Miami Beach, reservepadel.com; Padel X, 141 NE 13th Terrace, Miami, padelx.us; Platinum Padel, 1195 NE 125th St., North Miami, platinumpadel.club (opening soon).
Photos by Alfonso Duran for the Washington Post via Getty Images; Vincenzo Morelli
