One Small Step for US Padel, One Giant Leap for Accessibility
El Remate #17 | What's hot in 🇺🇸 & 🌎 padel | Feb. 3-10, 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! 📧
Super busy week last week! I had the immense pleasure of road-tripping the Midwest to witness the rise of US padel, and got to meet some of the coolest people positively impacting the sport in their own unique facets: Austin of Padel Nation, Andrew of Blanca Padel, Chris of IAPPF, Tito of AMET International, and Bruce of Connecticut-shopping-mall padel court fame.
During this expedition, we got to check out:
Alma Padel in Glenview, IL → founder Abigail has cracked the code on off-peak court occupancy and community-building since opening last year. The place is super warm and welcoming, and naturally transports you into a padel oasis. She even has multiple 85+ year old padel-playing members. LFG!
Proximo Padel in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood → this place soft-opened literally the week before we visited. Founder Alex let us swing by right before flying to Colombia for his wedding (que vivan los novios!). It’s a gorgeous place, and my brother got to play there for the first time this last weekend with his work colleague, an ex-college tennis player who’d never tried padel. They booked a court for an hour and ended up staying for three 😂
Off the Glass in small-town Goshen, IN → Co-founders Brevin and Len + their impressive team are building what could become the first truly end-to-end, vertically integrated US padel court manufacturer and installer. Big things ahead for [much-needed] increased accessibility nationwide.
Austin has already documented part of this eventful week. Check out his recent piece here.
Finally, this week’s issue is a hair longer than most given the insane amount of new US club openings (great problem to have 🇺🇸💪), so you may need to click “view entire message” at the bottom to see the full issue.
Anyway, let’s get into it:
🔍 Topics we’ll cover this weekAce Padel is building an empire, Miami is putting padel in a shopping mall, and the Premier Padel circus is officially back.
This week felt like a mini-inflection point for US growth: we’ve got major club openings across the Sunbelt, a legit push toward inclusivity & accessibility, and even college padel starting to look… weirdly serious.
Also, if you’ve ever panicked at the net deciding between a smash or vibora, you’re not alone. We break it down in Up Your Game so you stop donating free points to your opponents.
Also in this issue:
— Babolat x Lamborghini drops a pala nueva
— Indonesia makes moves to professionalize padel
— ✨ NEW: Poll of the Week
…and plenty more. Vamos!
🇺🇸 Club OpeningsHuge Things Happening Across the Sunbelt
🛍️ Padel Goes Shopping
Eko Padel & Pickle is opening March 15 inside Miami’s Dolphin Mall, bringing a 20,000 sq ft indoor padel + pickle setup to one of the area’s busiest retail hubs. The club will feature 3 padel courts, 3 pickleball courts, and a café hangout area. In my opinion, the most intriguing part: no initiation fees, just like nearly every club in Europe & LatAm. The low ceilings might be a slight buzzkill for lobs, but overall I think this is a *massive* step toward making padel more accessible and expanding the US player base. Chalk this off as a big W for American padel.
🎓 College Padel Levels Up
After a soft tease covered in El Remate #10 just before Christmas, we got more context on Ace Padel’s Coconut Grove opening, which is shaping up to be a strategic expansion project. Essentially, Ace Padel’s Coconut Grove club is a joint venture between Ace and three UMiami alumni who bought the land to build a permanent padel facility near campus (padel-crazy students often complained about the lack of nearby courts). The venue is targeting a late spring opening and will feature five outdoor courts, including four under a canopy with 32 feet of clearance at the lowest point and up to 42 feet at the peak.
🥷 Ace’s Empire-Building Saga Continues
Ace’s momentum continues, with Dallas’ Oak Lawn neighborhood committee giving them the green light to transform the former Resource Center health campus into a high-end, climate-controlled padel facility. The project will feature six indoor courts, a clubhouse with locker rooms + juice bar, and a mezzanine viewing deck.
🤠 Another in Austin
Over in Austin, $2.5M has been raised to launch Padel Society, an indoor luxury padel club featuring six courts, high ceilings, as well as co-working rooms + fitness, recovery, and social spaces. The facility is opening this summer and will be located in the city’s southeast side near Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
📈 Up Your Game Decisions, Decisions… Smash or Vibora?
So you’re at the net, and a lob comes sailing over. Do you go for a flashy overhead smash to end the point? Or do you hit a vibora, that sneaky low-spin shot that keeps pressure on your opponents? If you hit the wrong one, you’re suddenly gifting points and momentum.
Coach Bryant breaks this down super well in this video. Here are my five takeaways:
Know your shot
Flat smash: Go for it when you’re close to the net, the ball is sitting up, and you can finish the point clean.
Vibora: Offensive control shot. Keeps pressure on opponents without risking a rebound off the wall. Ideal when you’re moving backward from a deep lob.
Body position matters
Flat smash: Legs loaded, weight forward, elbow high. Contact at the peak, and don’t swing blindly.
Vibora: Plant your feet, transfer weight forward, keep your hitting arm controlled, and slice the outside of the ball at about eye level.
Target smart
~60% crosscourt, ~25% middle, <10% up the line for both left- and right-side players
Power ain’t everything
Flat smash: Go for it 90–100%
Vibora: 70% is plenty. Control > raw speed
Early prep wins points
Non-hitting arm up, chin up, elbow high, legs loaded. These micro-details are still key!
🌍 International Happenings Underrepresented Groups Make Moves in the Anglosphere (🇺🇸,🇬🇧)
This week featured three smile-inducing stories that are accelerating accessibility for everyone. Padel is unlike any other sport I’ve ever played, and seeing more demographics get hooked brings me so much joy.
Down in Miami, Dhanielly Quevedo formally launched Elite Sports Management, the first female-owned US padel agency after spotting a gap in representation for padel players and clubs. The agency now supports athletes with sponsorships and partnerships, helps clubs bring in new players, and connects the broader padel community.
Meanwhile across the pond, Britain’s Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) is pushing for ethnic diversity in tennis & padel. The organization’s Connecting Communities plan aims to make the sport genuinely reflective of Britain’s diverse population. Efforts include amplifying Black and Asian coaches, collaborating with Brown Girl Sport to celebrate South Asian women in sports, and creating inclusive spaces across all levels.
Also in the UK, amputee player Andrew Simister opened up on how a catastrophic accident turned into a global padel journey. Competing in the Inclusive Padel Tour, he pairs with non-disabled players in tournaments worldwide and has since earned a nomination for the British Padel Awards. Absolute stud.
🏆 Pro Padel Roundup Alas, the 2026 Premier Padel Season Kicks Off in Riyadh (🇸🇦)
The 2026 Premier Padel tour is finally back in action! A quick preview:
Men’s draw: 48 pairs, top 16 start in round two. Favorites Coello/Tapia (13 titles in 2025) kick things off against qualifiers; main rivals include Fede Chingotto & Ale Galan (8 titles). Franco Stupaczuk & Mike Yanguas could be dark horses.
Women’s draw: Delfi Brea & Gemma Triay are #1 seeds, but Paula Josemaria & Bea Gonzalez (#2) and Ari Sanchez & Andrea Ustero (#3) could rewrite the script. Also keep an eye out for rising stars Marta Ortega & Martina Calvo.
Where to watch: Red Bull TV streams from the quarterfinals onward. Early qualifiers can be caught via FIP’s YouTube channel.
🎯 Quick HitsBabolat and Lamborghini just launched the BL003, the newest racket in their ongoing collaboration. Built with 3K Carbon and a frame reinforced with KORIDION foam (a material used in Lamborghini vehicles), the BL003 is designed for lighter handling, added stability, and sharper responsiveness. It’s hand-crafted in Spain and drops in limited quantities.
Málaga is set to host the first-ever FISU World University Padel Championships this July, welcoming student-athletes from 32 countries in men’s, women’s, and mixed divisions. And with the American Collegiate Padel League launching this month, the race to build a true NCAA-style pipeline is officially on.
Indonesia 🇮🇩 just announced that will produce its first batch of internationally-licensed padel coaches and referees, certified by the sport’s global governing body.
Poll of the Week (results to be posted next week 😈 … here’s what others had to say here):
How the hell are you supposed to confidently drop $200+ on a racquet you’ve hardly (if ever) swung? The consensus: demo if you can, buy used if you can’t, and accept that the “perfect racket” is usually just the next one you haven’t bought yet.
Is Juan “El Lobo” Lebrón the most hated and loved player at the same time?
Padel parkour 😮
🤩 Cool Padel Court of the Week📍 Philipsburg, 🇸🇽
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 🎾