Nike Wants Padel's Best Player. But He's Already Taken(?)
El Remate #35 | What's hot in 🇺🇸 & 🌎 padel | June 9-16, 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 weekNike is finally entering the sport, with a 2027 launch on the table… and its first signature target is reportedly none other than world No. 1 Agustín Tapia. But what about Tapia’s deal with NOX?
We’ve got the full story below.
Also in this issue:
— FIP rewrote the 2027 rulebook, and American players caught a break
— Stop hitting bandejas that bounce like beach balls
— Handshake & future teammate drama
— Publicly funded courts finally hit the US!
…and plenty more. Game, set, let’s go!
🇺🇸 Court OpeningsComing Soon
Down in Wellington, FL (66 miles north of Miami), R&B Sports Center is developing a private, invitation-only sports and wellness campus. Slated to open in 2027, the project will feature padel courts alongside tennis facilities (including an indoor clay court), plus recovery amenities, a music studio, café, martial arts space, skate ramps, and a pump track. Founded by renowned tennis coaches Betsy Nagelsen McCormack and Rodrigo Nascimento, the club hopes to emphasize youth development, mentorship, and creating pathways for aspiring athletes.
Now Open
Austin, TX-based Padel39 just held the grand opening for its long-anticipated East Austin flagship location, officially becoming the largest padel club in Texas (yeehaw!). The facility brings 12 outdoor padel courts (including four covered courts and a dedicated singles/training court) to one of 🇺🇸's fastest-growing padel markets, while combining padel with fitness, wellness, and food & beverage offerings.
Additional Club Buzz 🐝
It’s no secret padel’s biggest problem in the US is accessibility, not demand. That gap is part of what gives the sport its “elitist” perception in our country. But fortunately, in Amarillo, TX, publicly funded courts, nonprofit leadership, and community-first programming are now offering a very different blueprint for how the sport can scale. America is finally starting to copy the European blueprint, and the he future is looking bright!
📈 Up Your Game Stop Hitting Bouncy Bandejas
I’ve been noticing this a lot with my game recently, but I constantly find my bandejas hitting the opponent’s glass and popping up like a beach ball, suddenly teeing up an attacking shot for them. 🤦♂️
In this 8-minute video, coach Sandy from The Padel School indicates the problem is usually insufficient movement that happens before the swing.
Most rec players watch the lob instead of reacting to it. They see the ball go up, admire its flight for a second too long, and then start shuffling backward with tiny steps. By the time they arrive, they’re late, cramped, and forced to contact the ball behind their body.
The result is an open racket face, an upward swing path, and a bandeja that sits up begging to be punished.
THE FIX: move before you think you need to.
As soon as you recognize the lob, split step, pivot, and use a few explosive crossover steps to get behind the ball.
Your goal is to create enough space so you can strike it comfortably in front of your body.
Once you’re there, remember this: “High racket, low finish.”
Start with the racket above the ball, let it travel slightly downward through contact, and keep the trajectory relatively flat. Add a touch of slice and you’ll produce the kind of low-skidding bandeja that buys time to reclaim the net.
Suerte a todos!
🌍 International Happenings A New Rulebook, With 🇺🇸 Players In Mind
During the Italy Major in Rome, FIP and Premier Padel came up with a package of changes for 2027, which were officially announced this week.
Before we break this down, you (rightfully) might be asking why these rules seem so fickle when organized pro padel has already been around for 21 years. What you might not know, however, is that over these 21 years, pro padel has been rebuilt three times:
Pro Padel Tour (2005-12)
World Padel Tour (2013-23)
And now, the FIP-governed Premier Padel (2024-present)
Within this current era, we’re only in year three. And unlike these prior two eras, padel is seeing rampant worldwide player & fan growth, which significantly complicates things. So yes, we’re in a new stage of “infancy,” hence these frequent regulatory changes.
So with that all said, here’s what’s coming in 2027 for the pro circuit:
The world’s best players can no longer “play down” in FIP’s lower tiers (Gold, Silver, Bronze) to (1) pick up extra ranking points and/or (2) stay sharp between Premier Padel stops… those tiers now belong to players still climbing the ladder.
This is a big deal for rising 🇺🇸 players, as the CUPRA FIP Tour only arrived in the US for the first time in October 2025 (FIP Bronze Austin, followed weeks later by FIP Silver San Diego… then Miami got its own FIP Bronze debut this past May). The USPA is now recruiting more US clubs to host FIP events off the back of that momentum.
Point being, these entry-level events are exactly where an American player starts building FIP ranking points. Until next year, a top-20 pro from Spain or Argentina can parachute into one of these and torch an American tournament by knocking out the top locals in round one.
FIP is trimming the number of ranking-based tournaments from 22 to 21. Players pleaded for this to ease travel and boost recovery. However, almost everyone else in the room (i.e., promoters, broadcasters, commercial partners) wanted the opposite, arguing padel needs more exposure in new markets to support its Olympic push. 😬 TBD on how this one holds up…
To offset the decrease in ranking-based tournaments, FIP increased the ranking points awarded for early-round exits across the board. At the Majors, for example, a round-of-32 finish now earns 50 points instead of 35.
🏆 Pro Padel Roundup 
Women’s Upsets & Men’s Drama Hit the Valencia P1
On the men’s side, Coello / Tapia made it four titles on the season, but this one came the hard way. Down 5-1 in the deciding tiebreak against No. 2 Chingalán, the world No. 1s clawed back to win 6-7, 6-1, 7-6. Coello called it his 50th career title; Tapia credited the run to the work they’ve put in since Buenos Aires, after which we had significant concerns about his health and performance. Highlights here.
Things got tense in the semis, when Galán refused to shake Lebrón's hand after a heated on-court exchange mid-match. Now, just days later, the tour heads to the Reserve Cup in Marbella (June 18-20), where Galán will temporarily partner with Lebrón's regular teammate, Leo Augsburger (a player Galán had his own skirmish with a few months back). The exhibition at Puente Romano also features a new women's division headlined by World No. 1 Delfi Brea.
On the women’s side, No. 3s Sánchez / Ustero avenged their Rome finals loss, beating No. 4s Fernández / Araújo 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 for their second title of the year. However, what’s worth noting is who didn’t make the final. No. 2s González / Josemaría (winners of five straight titles, a record no women’s pair had hit before) were knocked out in the quarters by Ortega / Calvo, who’d lost to them four times this season. Meanwhile, No. 1s and Italy Major Champions Triay / Brea, got knocked out in the semifinals by Sánchez / Ustero, ending their steak of 13 consecutive finals. Highlights here.
And Alas… Nike Is *Finally* Entering Padel
The Oregon-based brand is finally making its long-rumored entry into padel, targeting a 2027 launch… and Tapia is the centerpiece signing they’re chasing. Nike scouts were reportedly on the ground in Buenos Aires and Rome this season. Tapia’s current deal with NOX runs through 2028 with a steep buyout, so any move likely waits… but a three-way arrangement (i.e., NOX racket, Nike apparel/footwear) isn’t off the table. 👀
🎯 Quick Hits Our friends at Padel Nation released a guest article from Eric Loftus (who serves on the board of the American Sports Builders Association, among many other things) questioning the legality of outdoor padel courts in the US. (🇺🇸)
Padel is coming back to the Hamptons in Bridgehampton, NY for a Pro-Am charity showdown in early August, blending competition with poolside luxury. The event drives impact through The Brady Hunter Foundation, funding animal rescue, child welfare, and environmental initiatives. (🇺🇸)
The United States Padel Association has declared October as “national padel month” in an effort to take padel from rapid infrastructure expansion into scalable player adoption at the community level. (🇺🇸)
Padel Belgium has officially joined the Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee. With this addition, the Belgian Olympic Committee now represents 86 national sports federations. (🇧🇪)
Spicy debate: Should players be allowed to wipe sweaty hands on the glass between points? While some call it unhygienic and distracting, others argue it’s standard practice, and even used at the pro level without controversy.
🤩 Cool Club of the Week📍 Santiago de los Caballeros, 🇩🇴
More info here!
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See you next week & keep smashing those volleys 🎾