Coach Salaries. Global Alliances. Creepy Men.
El Remate #40 | What's hot in 🇺🇸 & 🌎 padel | July 14-21, 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! 📧
🔍 Topics we’ll cover this weekA new industry report suggests top padel coaches are earning up to 40% more than their pickleball counterparts. And apparently unopened padel balls lose over 20% of their pressure just sitting on a shelf.
Meanwhile, Fanatics is taking over Premier Padel’s retail business, and the Olympic groundwork keeps falling into place. But not everything trending is positive… one growing community concern might be holding part of the player base back.
Also in this issue:
— How to quit getting cooked by the víbora
— The coastal American court boom continues
— NBA stars make a pro padel cameo
…and plenty more. Vamos!
🇺🇸 Court OpeningsComing Soon
Backed by the Mouratoglou brand, M Padel is launching a Malden, MA location in late 2026. The club will feature eight courts (7 indoor, 1 outdoor), a strength and conditioning gym, and locker rooms with saunas + showers. The club will provide private lessons, clinics, and court rentals for members and non-members.
Tempe, AZ-based franchise Conquer Padel just signed a lease for its first Jacksonville, FL location, bringing the city its first dedicated indoor padel facility. The club will feature five courts with 30-foot ceilings, plus a full fitness gym, recovery area with saunas and cryotherapy, coffee and smoothie bar, full-service bar, pro shop, member lounges, corporate event space, and mezzanine viewing area. Opening details are expected as construction progresses.
Now Open
Bay Area franchise Bay Padel officially opened its newest location in downtown San Jose, marking its fourth club in the metro area. The 28,000-square-foot facility features six padel courts and offers a recovery lounge, cold plunge, sauna, locker rooms, juice bar, and outdoor warm-up area. The club is also launching clinics, intro sessions, open play, leagues, and tournaments.
Additional Club Buzz 🐝
Park Padel is hosting an FIP Promises tournament at their South San Francisco, CA location from August 28-30, bringing international competition to the West Coast for the first time this year.
Down in Los Angeles, Padel Up is hosting a Rally for Venezuela community fundraiser after last month’s devastating earthquakes.
Further south, Padel N9NE in San Diego is hosting beloved UK-based coach and YouTube educator Sandy Farquharson of The Padel School from August 19-23 for a series of clinics, a club social, and an exhibition match.
📈 Up Your Game Defend a Víbora Properly, for Once!
Let’s be honest. Your lob wasn’t the strongest. Now your opponent is loading up for an offensive overhead, so you instinctively charge forward expecting a hard smash.
…except it’s a víbora. And now the ball kicks off the glass with nasty sidespin and dies behind you. RIP.
In this 5min video, Coach Sandy from The Padel School proposes a two-step solution.
Instead of reacting to the overhead, start reading the contact.
If your opponent contacts the ball high and out in front, expect a flatter smash. But if they strike it slightly to the side with a brushing motion, anticipate the slice and stay patient.
Position yourself in one of two ways:
Stay back and let the glass do the work, defending after the rebound, OR
Step forward with intent and block the ball before it reaches the glass, stealing time from your opponent.
But whatever you do, commit ASAP and don’t get caught halfway between the two.
One final takeaway: you’re not gonna master this in match play. Build a simple drill where a partner feeds a lob and alternates víboras, allowing you to practice both defensive options until the decision becomes automatic. Suerte!
This way, you’ll build a game that works against everyone. Suerte!
🌍 International Happenings Cross-Border Partnerships Reach the Sport
Three cross-border deals were inked this week across the governance and retail infrastructure fronts, and they’re all worth a look.
First, the International Padel Federation became a World Anti-Doping Agency code signatory, closing a two-year process with the International Testing Agency. This puts padel’s anti-doping framework on the same footing as most major international sports, which further strengthens padel’s long-term Olympic aspirations.
And in an effort to outsource commercialization, Premier Padel handed its retail and licensing operation to NYC-based Fanatics, the same company running merch for the NFL, NBA, and F1. Fanatics will take over e-commerce, wholesale, and in-venue retail starting at the Barcelona Finals in December, with a London pop-up in August to test the model.
And finally in North America, Montreal-based lifestyle brand Psycho Bunny, which operates nearly 150 retail stores, officially entered the US padel market by signing on as the official uniform partner for USA Padel’s men’s, women’s, and junior national teams.
🏆 Pro Padel Roundup Dynasty in the Making, feat. NBA Bigshots (🇪🇸)
The Málaga P1 ended with both world’s No. 1 pairs standing atop the podium.
On the women’s side, Brea / Triay outlasted Josemaría / González (a Málaga native) in an instant classic, winning 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 after more than three hours of play. The victory marked their fourth title of the season and first P1 crown since Rome, while snapping a five-match losing streak against the No. 2s, claiming their 13th title together.
On the men’s side, Coello / Tapia dismantled Lebrón / Augsburger 6-2, 6-2 in just 53 minutes, extending their winning streak to five consecutive titles and defending last year’s Málaga title. Lebrón and Augsburger appeared to have little left in the tank after surviving a grueling semifinal against No. 2s Chingotto / Galán.
Beyond the action on court, NBA legend (+ frequent local player in San Antonio) Manu Ginóbili and fellow Argentine ex-NBA star Pepe Sánchez were in attendance. And following the tournament, the Spanish pros made sure to celebrate their country’s World Cup victory.
Looking ahead, Premier Padel Tour heads into its final stop before the summer break, with inaugural P1 events in Pretoria and London up next.
🎯 Quick Hits Per a IAPPF compensation report, head pickleball coaches can earn up to $200,000 annually, while comparable padel roles command a 15-40% pay premium due to a shortage of qualified coaches. (🇺🇸)
Side note—if you’re a facility owner or operator, the IAPPF is also collecting data for its first industry benchmark report, which you can contribute to via a confidential survey here.
Per a newly-released report on the Irish padel scene, search interest is up 23x in five years, and €5M has been committed to building 300 new courts by 2027. (🇮🇪)
Pittsburgh-based brand GAMMA Sports has officially entered padel, launching a product line featuring five racquets, balls, and accessories. (🇺🇸)
Padel has earned a spot in the 2027 Southeast Asian Games in Malaysia. (🇲🇾)
Community musings:
Are creepy men discouraging women from playing padel?
Supported by detailed charts, a player tracked the pressure loss of unopened balls over a month across different brands and retailers… and found they typically lost >22% of their pressure without ever being hit.
🤩 Cool Club of the Week📍 Ho Chi Minh, 🇻🇳
More info here!
Missed a recent issue? Todo tranca che ;) we got you covered:
📌 Hot take editorials:
Thanks for reading! My promise: I’ll keep the newsletters coming, you share with a friend if you’re enjoying. Está bien? Forward to a friend.
For more on-the-ground 🌎 padel content from a 🇺🇸 POV, follow @padelyanqui on Instagram! And if you have any feedback, news to share, or are interested in becoming a preferred partner of El Remate, just respond to this email :)
See you next week & keep smashing those volleys 🎾