Can Anyone Beat Them?
El Remate #23 | What's hot in 🇺🇸 & 🌎 padel | Mar. 17-24, 2026
Bienvenidos a El Remate! I’m Aris, a padel-obsessed Missourian who spent the last 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! 📧
What’s up El Remate fam! Checking in this week from Miami to make the pilgrimage to this week’s Premier Padel P1 tournament. Stay tuned, lots more to come!
🔍 Topics we’ll cover this weekFrom indoor builds to outdoor courts popping up, America’s urban land grab is officially on.
Meanwhile, Coello / Tapia and Triay / Brea remind everyone they’re not to be messed with, while we inch even closer to Brisbane 2032.
Also in this issue:
— Why your footwork is quietly costing you games
— Ex-rivals squash the beef
— Taking more risks = better now?
— Where to watch the top Americans play next month
— Dad goals
…and plenty more. Seguimos!
🇺🇸 Club OpeningsUrban Padel FTW
🏙️ Padel Gets Windy, Despite the Indoor Setup
I’ve been waiting for this one! Proximo Padel just cut the tape, bringing padel to Chicago’s Northwest Side with a 27,000-square-foot indoor facility featuring four courts (+ pickleball on the way). Founded by two Colombian brothers (wonderful guys btw) with a corporate background, the club is betting on community-driven matchmaking and a multi-location expansion strategy to anchor the sport’s growth across the Chicagoland area.
🦞 Beantown Goes Outdoors
Philadelphia-based Ballers is set to open this spring in Boston’s Seaport district, introducing the city’s first outdoor padel courts, with three courts anchoring a 30,000-square-foot open-air complex. Backed by names like Andre Agassi and Kim Clijsters, the venue blends padel and pickleball with food, events, leagues, and social programming. Amenities span dining and lounge areas to seasonal activations, including winter ice rinks.
🐝 Additional Club Buzz
— Tempe, AZ-based Conquer Padel is rolling out dedicated retail spaces to bring lululemon into its clubs nationwide.
— Austin Padel Center, which we covered a few weeks ago, has officially opened its three indoor courts in the city’s north side. The 22,000 square-foot facility is slated to open six more courts by fall.
📈 Up Your Game 
Why You’re Always Late to the Ball
More and more pros like Paquito Navarro are saying the same thing: padel is getting faster these days, and if your movement doesn’t keep up, your game won’t either.
The problem is that most amateur players barely train it. But if you do, you’ll instantly separate yourself.
I came across this 7.5-min video, which does a great job of breaking down where you’re leaking points. My notes below:
Mistake #1: Your “Ready Position” Isn’t Ready
Most rec players stand upright, weight on their heels, waiting for the ball like spectators.
Instead, stand like a goalkeeper about to prepare for a penalty kick. Slightly bend your knees, put your weight forward, and have your body lean in. You should feel like you could explode in any direction instantly.
Mistake #2: You’re Standing Still at the Net
Instead of being flat-footed, stay active through small adjustment steps. Look for chances to move forward and apply pressure.
Sure, you might get lobbed. But the reality is that passive players lose slowly, while aggressive players win (and lose) on their terms.
Train your movement so you can attack and recover.
Mistake #3: Using the Wrong Footwork at the Wrong Time
Crossover steps feel fast, but they’re not always right. Use them in defense, and you’ll feel off-balance and jammed, with limited options.
Instead, to avoid late contact every time, think:
Crossover = distance (chasing lobs, covering ground)
Lateral steps = control (defense, quick reactions)
Mistake #4: You Admire Your Shot
You hit, then pause to watch your shot, despite the point still being alive.
In reality, you need to recover immediately. Assume every ball is coming back, even after a great shot (admittedly I’m quite guilty of this).
🌍 International Happenings Inching Closer… (🇪🇺)
Just two weeks after padel’s inclusion in this summer’s Asian Games was announced, the sport has now secured its spot as a medal event at the European Games 2027 in Istanbul… yet another major step toward Olympic inclusion.
Following a breakout debut at the European Games 2023 in Kraków, where thousands packed into a city-center court, the sport proved it can deliver the atmosphere and audience. Backed by the European Olympic Committees and key figures like Luigi Carraro and Spyros Capralos, the sport continues to check every box required for Olympic inclusion, ideally targeting the 2032 Summer Olympics in Brisbane.
🏆 Pro Padel RoundupBusiness as Usual (🇲🇽)
World No. 1 pairs Arturo Coello / Agustín Tapia and Gemma Triay / Delfi Brea swept the Cancún Premier Padel P2, showing that the throne is still very much occupied.
On the men’s side, Coello/Tapia edged out Juan Lebrón and Leo Augsburger in a gritty three-set battle (7-5 in the decider) to extend their absurd run to 18 straight finals. Mexico, meanwhile, remains Coello’s personal playground (he’s still undefeated there on the Premier Padel circuit), while Tapia quietly added another milestone, surpassing Ale Galán as the most decorated active player. Highlights here.
Over on the women’s side, Triay/Brea dispatched Bea González / Paula Josemaría in straight sets, closing with a borderline bagel (6-1) after a tight opener. Since bringing in coach Seba Nerone, they haven’t lost… now sitting on two titles this season and 11 overall as a pair. Tune into the highlights here.
Overall, the tourney’s outdoor setup brought hella wind, which had fans joking about lobs flying sideways, but even then, the same elite names rose to the top. Fans online displayed equal parts awe and fatigue, like: “can they lose for once?”
🎯 Quick Hits Want to witness 🇺🇸’s best padelistas compete? The P1 Las Vegas Open returns for year three in late April with a $25K prize pool and equal pay across men’s and women’s draws.
Former rivals Mike Yanguas and Juan Lebrón have officially buried the hatchet, turning one of padel’s most heated on-court clashes into an unlikely friendship.
Players debate:
Is a weeklong padel camp in Spain actually worth it, or just a glorified (and expensive) vacation?
Maybe taking more risks is better after all?
Dad goals 👨🍼
🤩 Cool Club of the Week📍 Kuwait City, 🇰🇼
More info here!
Missed a recent issue? Todo tranca che ;) we got you covered:
📌 Hot take editorials:
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See you next week & keep smashing those volleys 🎾