Padel's Latest Divorce
El Remate #38 | What's hot in 🇺🇸 & 🌎 padel | June 30 - July 7, 2026
Bienvenidos a El Remate! I’m Aris, a padel-obsessed Missourian who spent two years living in Argentina and Spain to deeply understand the sport’s strategy, culture, and business. I’ve played and competed across 3 continents and 12 countries, and recently started documenting my journey on Instagram.
Each week, I curate what matters in padel: new US club openings, technique tips, my takes on international headlines and pro drama, plus insider knowledge from the global circuit. Subscribe for weekly updates! 📧
Before we dive into this week’s edition, I want to take a moment to remember Fernando Alarcón and his daughter, Sophie, who tragically passed away in Florida at the end of June.
An Argentinian immigrant, Fernando was a pioneer of American padel, a former Team USA player and coach, and the founder of Miami’s Ultra Padel Club. He spent decades laying the foundation for the sport in the US. Sophie was following in his footsteps as one of the country’s brightest junior talents, proudly representing Team USA on the international stage.
While I never had the chance to know Fernando personally, the overwhelming outpouring of love and stories from across the padel community makes it clear how deeply he impacted the lives of so many. My thoughts are with the Alarcón family and everyone who knew and loved them. May their memories be eternal. 💔🕊️
🔍 Topics we’ll cover this week CNBC officially made padel a cable-news sport Stateside, the world’s No. 1 pair got dethroned by opponents who’d lost to them nine straight times, and we have an unexpected breakup on the loose.
And in metro NYC, private padel just got embedded inside a public park, while two continents are leading by example in women’s padel.
Also in this issue:
— There lob hacks you had no idea about
— American cruise line joins the padel party
— Top global players return to 🇺🇸 since the Miami P1
— The “right side leftie” debate
…and plenty more. Seguimos!
🇺🇸 Court OpeningsNow Open
Over in metro NYC, Roslyn Padel just opened, making it one of the first notable US examples of a private padel operator embedded within a public park system. The opening brings four outdoor courts powered by Reserve Padel, with court bookings now available through Playtomic. Beyond standard court time, the club is launching clinics, open play, and community-focused programming. Its grand opening featured live music, wellness activations, food, and “Beat the Pro” competitions.
In West Jordan, UT (part of metro Salt Lake City), Padel Park is having its grand opening this week, featuring six indoor courts and 40-foot ceilings. The facility pairs competitive play with a social lounge, pro shop, and built-in recovery space.
Additional Club Buzz 🐝
Over in San Jose, CA, Bay Padel is having their official soft-opening on July 11, featuting six outdoor courts.
Per insider sources, Cube Chicago Padel now has nationwide soccer facility operator Sofive as its new owner.
Unfortunately, after two years, Orlando Padel Club Indoor is closing its doors.
In Richmond, VA, Padel Plant broke USA Padel’s 100-level attendance record via its first-ever Virginia Padel Open.
📈 Up Your Game Stop Treating the Lob Like a Bailout Shot
POV: you’re pinned at the back of the court, scrambling just to stay in the rally, so you throw up a desperate lob and hope for the best.
Unfortunately, if you’re under heavy pressure, your lob will most likely be too short, too slow, or too predictable… giving your opponents an easy bandeja, víbora, or smash.
In this 9-minute video, coach Mauri says one of the biggest misconceptions in padel is thinking the lob is a defensive shot. Rather, the best lobs are offensive weapons.
That said, play your lob when you have time, balance, and control instead of survival mode.
A few other gems worth noting:
— Power comes from your legs (not your arm). Think low to high and let your whole body lift the ball.
— Prepare early. If you only show your racket at the last second, your opponents immediately know a lob is coming.
— Not all lobs are created equal. Against players with great overheads, use a faster, flatter lob that rushes their preparation. Against others, go higher and deeper to force an awkward bandeja.
— Depth matters. A lob that reaches the back glass is far more likely to force a defensive overhead than one that lands short.
TLDR, aside from being an “escape hatch,” the lob is often the shot that lets you take control of the point. Master it, and you’ll spend a lot less time defending... and a lot more time owning the net. Suerte!
🌍 International Happenings Two Continents Closing the Same Gap (🇬🇧,🇰🇪)
Two unconnected data points landed this week, and together they're pretty interesting and help better connect the dots on the sport’s trajectory.
Across the UK, Padelstars (one of the country’s largest padel operators, with close to 15 locations) launched She Rallies, a free women-only taster series running every Friday in July across its clubs. Per COO Jeevan Gill, if operators don’t actively intervene now, the sport calcifies into a male-dominated one… just like plenty of racket sports did before it.
In Nairobi, coach Cherryl Fouasso started a successful ladies’ clinic at Padel Point for ~$11 a session to combat what she’s been seeing across local tournaments, with 70+ men registering against <20 women. Her ladies’ clinic (capped at four women per session) has moved 150+ players from beginner to intermediate.
From an operator POV, women are structurally underrepresented in padel registration numbers everywhere the sport is young (cough, cough, 🇺🇸). Whoever can build the onboarding infrastructure first (i.e., dedicated sessions, small cohorts, sense of “belonging”) will own that demand before it becomes contested.
🏆 Pro Padel Roundup A BIG Breakthrough + Unexpected Divorce (🇫🇷)
The Bordeaux P2 delivered two thrilling finals and another reminder of just how competitive the Premier Padel circuit has become.
On the women’s side, Tamara Icardo and Claudia Jensen captured their first title together (and Icardo’s first-ever Premier Padel crown). After knocking off the No. 2 seeds Josemaría / González in the semifinals, they upset world No. 1s Brea / Triay 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 in the final. Furthermore, Icardo and Jensen had entered the match 0-9 all-time against Brea and Triay. 🤯 The duo become the fourth different women’s pair to win a Premier Padel title this season. Highlights here.
The men’s final added another chapter to one of the sport’s defining rivalries. Coello / Tapia rallied from a set down to defeat Chingotto / Galán 5-7, 7-6, 6-2, extending their winning streak to four consecutive Premier Padel titles. After surviving a tightly contested second-set tiebreak, the world No. 1s pulled away in the decider to claim their 25th victory in 38 meetings against Chingalán. Highlights here.
Off-court, following their premature quarterfinal exit, Leo Augsburger’s flamboyantly outspoken agent, Lisandro Borges (who’s repeatedly accused all-time padel GOAT Fernando Belasteguín of doping), announced he was stepping down as Augsburger’s longtime agent, publicly criticizing Juan Lebrón (Leo Augsburger’s current playing partner) and calling his entourage “toxic.” Borges said he respected Augsburger’s decision to remain alongside Lebrón, but believed it was the wrong path for the young Argentine's career. Augsburger, however, responded with a heartfelt farewell, thanking Borges for five years together and writing, “Nobody will fill that place. Nobody could do it better than you.”
Looking ahead this week, we turn our attention to the much-anticipated Pro Padel League season debut in New York City, where the league also kicks off its new broadcast partnership with CNBC. If you’ll be there as well, hit me up!
🎯 Quick Hits Miami-based Regent Seven Seas Cruises is rolling out a new “sports deck” aboard one of its ships, featuring padel, pickleball, and yoga zones. (🇺🇸)
PadelXpo is officially launching as the UK’s first “all-in-one” 200+ brand padel trade show, with its first-ever event set for June 2027 in Birmingham. (🇬🇧)
Namibia Padel Federation has officially launched, becoming the sport’s formal governing body in Namibia. The organization will roll out national rankings and school-based development. (🇳🇦)
From July 1-12, APM Monaco is turning the terraces in front of the Casino de Monte-Carlo into a pop-up padel court. The initiative is backed by top F1 driver Charles Leclerc. (🇲🇨)
The International Association of Padel and Pickleball Facilities is bringing padel education via an official partnership with the Athletic Business Show, one of North America’s largest gatherings for facility owners, architects, and parks & recreation leaders. (🇺🇸)
Over in London, World Padel Network just announced a “Clash of the Coaches” tournament in early August, exclusively for instructors from across the UK and Europe. (🇬🇧,🇪🇺)
Players debate: Is having a left-hander on the right side sneakily one of the biggest structural advantages in modern padel?
🤩 Cool Club of the Week📍 Aspen, CO, 🇺🇸
More info here!
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See you next week & keep smashing those volleys 🎾