Novak Djokovic issued a heartbreaking warning to tennis fans at Wimbledon this year. The 24-time Grand Slam champion from Serbia said the racket sport he has dedicated his life to is “in danger” of another sport rising. He was referring to padel.
The first thing you need to know about padel is that it’s pronounced pad-le, not pad-el. In America, they call it pickleball. Another thing? Padel is not tennis: you don’t wear all white.
I’m sharing this wisdom early to keep you from blushing when you inevitably hop on the bandwagon. Unfortunately, I was armed with these truths ahead of my own exit earlier this month.
With my own rosy cheeks looking radiant in my all-white suit from Adidas (shirt £38, shorts £45), my Asics Gel-Challenger 14 Padel trainers (£105) and Varlion’s Summum Maxima Prism racket (Pulco £380), I took to the court at Padel Social Club in Earls Court, west London. (Note: these clothes are light, airy and comfortable to wear – just choose different colours. And remember: pad-le.)
Polo blouse£38 and shortsAdidas Gel-Challenger 14 Padel trainers, £45, Asics; Summum Maxima Prism, £380, from Varlion racket Pulco Studios
It’s a Wednesday afternoon, just after 3pm, but the place is packed. It’s a huge social event; music is blaring from surround-sound speakers. The July sun beats down on the club’s trendy black shipping container units, while customers sip ice-cold beers and Aperol spritzes.
It’s hard to imagine your local tennis club having such a vibe, which is why Djokovic fears the newly popular padel scene could overtake grassroots tennis. I’ve only been here for half an hour and I can see why he’s worried.
“Tennis is the king or queen of all racket sports, that’s true. But at the club level, tennis is in danger,” he said. “If we don’t do something about it, as I said, globally or collectively, padel, pickleball [the] States to convert all tennis clubs to padel and pickleball [clubs].”
According to the International Padel Federation, the number of people playing padel has more than doubled, from 12 million in 2014 to 30 million in 2024. According to a Playtonic industry report, 4.5 million padel rackets were sold last year.
There are currently an estimated 200,000 amateur players in the UK and 470 courts across 173 clubs. I’m here to find out what all the fuss is about.
Waistcoat£140; Air conditioned shirt£90; shorts£75; hat£40; sock£10 and backpack£480, all Pulco Studios, Head Padel instructors; £135, Padel HutS
Enrique Corcuera founded the sport of padel by building the world’s first court in his vacation home in Acapulco, Mexico, in 1969. Rumor has it that he wanted a tennis court but his garden wasn’t big enough, and so a new sport was born.
Padel is played on an artificial surface surrounded by glass walls and a net separating the two halves of the court. The rules are similar to tennis, with two exceptions: it must be played in doubles, and you are allowed to return a shot that hits the court and bounces off one of the walls. Oh, and the racket looks like a smaller Lego version of a regular tennis racket.
Padel is a popular sport among the rich and famous. Its supporters include sports legends Lionel Messi, David Beckham and Serena Williams (does that make him a traitor?). Several Premier League footballers from around the country are also said to be keen on padel. Its fans include Pippa Middleton and Shakira, Gerard Butler and Enrique Inglesias. How does it appeal to the masses?
It’s no surprise that fashion brands want in on the action. Some of the most extravagant launches include Prada and Versace’s rackets, which retail for £1,470 and £1,020 respectively. Specialist sports brands such as Wilson and Babolat produce padel rackets in the more modest price range of £70-£325.
Elsewhere, luxury British brand Dunhill sponsored a padel tournament at The Hurlingham Club, a private members’ club in West London, in May. Indeed, Richard Mille and Versace have hosted similar events, clearly demonstrating how the trend is appealing to the world’s most style-conscious.
There are also heritage padel brands such as Budapell. The yellow T-shirt (£36) is made from a lightweight polyester and is typical of the clothing associated with the sport. It has quick-drying technology so you sweat less while you play. I can personally vouch for its effectiveness. The brand also offers elasticated sports shorts (£40) that give you the ability to dart around without restriction.
The inner mesh isn’t to my taste, but that’s a matter of personal preference. Babolat also design specialist padel trainers (£134.99) that provide excellent grip when you’re running around during training. Padel is often played outdoors in sunny conditions, so the Rudy Project goggles (£227) came in handy. I quickly forgot I was wearing them, which is definitely a sign of good sports glasses. If they’re not tight, they quickly become a nuisance.
T-shirt£36 and shortsBullpadel, £40; Padel shoes, £134.99, Babolat; Sock£10 and Canon from Varlion racket£250, both Pulco Studios; Sunglasses, £227, Project Rudy
It’s bold brands like Pulco Studios that are making real waves among the savvy padel community. The London-based clothing company has capitalised on the ‘Gorp Core’ trend that’s taking hold in UK street style. While their high-quality performance wear is designed to be worn on the padel court, you’re also likely to see them worn by hipsters in east London bars on a Friday night.
Joe Middleton, a fashion industry veteran and president of Levi’s European division, teamed up with his son Charlie to create this distinctive brand. The AirCon gaming T-shirt is their core technical product, designed to speed up sweat evaporation and prevent the top from sticking to the body when worn.
Despite wearing an AirCon T-shirt (£90) and Gilet (£140) (which was an acceptable aesthetic choice and not because I needed another layer) I stayed perfectly warm. The brand’s bucket hat (£40) reflected the on-trend philosophy and did a good job of keeping the sun out of my eyes too.
When Pulco first developed their product range, Joe and Charlie looked at the life of a typical padel player in London. They discovered that players were often young professionals working in the city who would change clothes at the office before cycling to their local padel club. So Pulco created a padel-specific backpack (£480) that provided space for everything they needed on the pitch, but also protected them from the elements while on the road.
My three friends and I play a few games and then have a post-match review session in the club courtyard over a beer. We all agree that padel is more fun and social than tennis. Why? Because it’s easy to learn and lends itself nicely to a proper rally. The games are engaging, have momentum and often end with screams, laughter or swearing.
You run, you slide, you even dive, but it doesn’t feel too challenging. And the best part is, you can feel yourself improving with the pace. I can see why so many people get into it and embrace this style.