Has Padel Become Too Fast?
El Remate #42 | What's hot in 🇺🇸 & 🌎 padel | July 28 - August 4, 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 weekThis week belonged to the underdogs.
Team USA locked up World Cup qualification. Two childhood friends came within one point of completing one of the biggest Cinderella runs we’ve ever seen on the Premier Padel tour. And now, everyone’s arguing whether padel is becoming too fast for its own good.
We’ve got all that below.
Also in this issue:
— The bajada mistake almost everyone’s making
— Fifteen new courts, four states, one week
— The club facing $370K fraud allegations
— Are ball pressurizers even worth it?
…and plenty more. Take it to the glass!
🇺🇸 Court OpeningsComing Soon
Diablo Padel is targeting a 2027 opening in metro San Francisco’s East Bay with four indoor, climate-controlled courts, a recovery lounge, coaching, leagues, DJ nights, and other community-focused programming. Founder Angel Tramontin (a former LinkedIn product leader and recent UC Berkeley MBA grad) says the club is built around people are craving authentic, in-person communities in an increasingly digital world.
Epic Padel has acquired Midlothian Tennis Club outside Richmond, VA, marking its third location as the company continues its nationwide expansion strategy. The facility’s existing 16 tennis courts (four indoor, 12 outdoor) will be gradually transformed into Epic Athletic Club, with the first four outdoor padel courts slated to open by Q1 2027, alongside upgraded amenities and enhanced food-and-beverage offerings.
Now Open
Sportika Woodlands Indoor Padel just opened in Magnolia, TX (within greater Houston), adding six indoor courts to “America’s second padel city.” The facility is offering professional coaching, private lessons, and clinics for players of all levels.
South Beach Racquet Club is now home to Hilton Head Island, SC’s first publicly accessible padel court, installed atop an existing tennis court by Off the Glass and Wakit Padel, with plans to keep the temporary installation in place for at least six months. Ideally, the court will serve as a catalyst for broader adoption across Hilton Head’s renowned network of country clubs and tennis facilities, with community events and professional exhibitions already planned.
Additional Club Buzz 🐝
In preparation for the Pro Padel League’s Los Angeles event next week, the Los Angeles Beat is partnering with The Los Angeles Padel Club to host a youth development day, giving local junior players the chance to train alongside the pros.
📈 Up Your Game Fix Your Bajada
According to Dutch coach Sven Boele at Otro Nivel Padel, most players miss the bajada because they rush to the ball, then keep moving while they hit it.
In this 16-minute video, he makes it very clear: Sprint first. Stop second. Swing last. Let’s break it down further, shall we?
As soon as you recognize the lob, run back at full speed.
But once the ball hits the back glass, imagine someone hit the pause button.
During this time, plant your feet, get balanced, and only then attack the ball.
When finally making contact, it’s important to do so as high and as early as possible.
And alas, regarding placement: most of your best bajadas should go through the middle, forcing your opponents to decide who’s taking it. It’s much lower risk for you… and surprisingly awkward for them.
Master these steps, and you’ll win far more points without changing your stroke. Suerte che!
🌍 International Happenings Team USA Men’s *and* Women’s ➡️ Padel World Cup
As we gear up for the FIP World Cup in Doha (🇶🇦) this November, regional qualifiers are currently taking place around the globe. For Team USA, that meant traveling to Toronto this past weekend for the North and Central America qualifier. The Americans faced Canada and Mexico in a round-robin, with two men’s World Cup berths and one women’s berth up for grabs. (To note, each “tie” is a best-of-three-pairs matchup… a national team fields three doubles pairs, and whichever side wins more of those three matches wins the “tie.”)
For the first time in two years, both Team USA’s men’s and women’s teams qualified for the World Cup.
On the men’s side, Team USA opened with a clean 3-0 sweep of Canada. Mexico kept pace and qualified alongside them, while Canada was eliminated from men’s contention by the second day.
Given that only one spot was available on the women’s side, the competition carried higher stakes. USA opened with a 3-0 win over Mexico, then had to beat Canada outright in the final tie to close it out, since anything less would have handed the spot to Mexico on points. They came up clutch, sweeping Canada 3-0 as well.
Both squads now head to the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha from November 2-7.
Meanwhile, the qualification process moves to Asunción, Paraguay, from August 20-22 for the South American qualifiers, followed by the European and combined Africa-Asia qualifying rounds to complete the 32-team World Cup field.
🏆 Pro Padel Roundup “What Have We Just Witnessed?” (🇿🇦)
The Pretoria P1 (the tour’s first-ever stop in South Africa) delivered tons of drama, highlighted by seventh-seeded childhood friends Fran Guerrero and Javi Leal. The duo took down Lebrón / Augsburger in the Quarterfinals upon saving six match points, then proceeded to end No. 1 Coello / Tapia’s absurd run of 27 straight finals by grinding out a 7-5, 7-5 win in the Semis. In the Final against No. 2 Chingalán, the duo even held a championship point in the third set tiebreak before sadly falling 6-2, 5-7, 7-6. Highlights here.
Looking back, Guerrero / Leal’s insane run sparked an intense debate among fans: are fewer lobs the new meta? After repeatedly attacking from the back with flat, heavy groundstrokes, maybe this new tactic is the move now...
And on the women’s side, teenagers Fernandez / Calvo, playing their first tournament together, upset (and dismantled) No. 2s Josemaría / González in the Semis 6-1, 6-4 before pushing No. 1s Brea / Triay to a third-set tiebreak in the Final before (also) sadly falling 6-2, 6-7, 7-6. Highlights here.
Pretoria’s altitude also reignited padel’s speed debate. Paquito Navarro was blunt about the courts turning nearly every point into a smash-fest, even with a lower-pressure ball introduced for the event. Coki Nieto (whose game leans on patience and long exchanges), contrarily argued that adapting to faster conditions is simply part of the sport’s evolution. Either way, it’s worth debating how much of padel’s identity is getting traded away for spectacle.
Next up this week is the London P1… the tour’s first-ever UK event.
🎯 Quick Hits On August 15-16, a pop-up padel court will sit in front of the Sydney Opera House, with legends like Martín Di Nenno, Alejandra Salazar, and Pat Rafter set to headline the inaugural Padel Invitational. (🇦🇺)
Tennis legend (& wife of Andre Agassi) Steffi Graf has partnered with European supermarket giant Lidl to launch an FIP-approved racket and ball collection for under €60. (🇩🇪)
French sporting goods giant Decathlon will serve as the official retail partner for the London P1. (🇫🇷🇬🇧)
LevelTech, a startup that transformed squash rankings, just raised over $670,000 to bring its player-rating platform to padel. (🇬🇧)
We all know Miami is America’s padel capital. But any guesses what Ireland’s is? (🇮🇪)
Uh oh… US men’s No. 6 padel player is facing multiple criminal charges after allegedly destroying merchandise and threatening employees at a Miami sports shop. (🇺🇸🇺🇾)
What’s even more awkward, Swedish padel company Ascaro Padel is facing fraud, embezzlement, and money laundering allegations in Indonesia after investors accused it of misusing ~$370,000 meant for a new club. (🇸🇪🇮🇩)
An all-girls private school in England won approval to build three padel courts, with plans to open them to students, staff, families, and the wider community. (🇬🇧)
Players debate: are ball pressurizers worth the investment?
🤩 Cool Court of the Week📍 Koh Chang, 🇹🇭
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 🎾