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 culture, strategy, 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! 📧
Happy National Padel Month to those who celebrate! Just wrapped up my time at the US Open Padel Championships in NYC, and holy cow I couldn’t be more excited about the future of this sport in the US. Huge shoutout USA Padel and Padel Haus for putting on a kickass tournament. Getting to witness more American-born players getting into the game & learning from the international communities that helped bring the sport here puts a huge smile to my face.
🔍 Topics we’ll cover this weekThe GOAT is coming for American college padel. If the sport is going to become mainstream Stateside, campuses might be one of the most important battlegrounds.
Meanwhile, new clubs are opening across TX, FL, and NY, existing clubs are adding courts, Nike is now circling the women’s game, and the Golden Boys are once again doing Golden Boy things.
Also in this issue:
— Which one of us is playing left side?
— Padel capital heats up
— And the best seats in the house are…
…and plenty more. Dale campeón!
🇺🇸 Court OpeningsNow Open
DUS Padel just opened its doors, bringing a 26,000-square-foot indoor padel and wellness club to West Palm Beach, FL. The club features six indoor courts (five doubles and one singles), saunas, salt-water cold plunges, a recovery room, pilates, an organic café, and the first official NOX Pro Shop in the US, positioning itself as a “third place” between home and work.
The Padel Collective just opened, bringing a Mediterranean-inspired padel experience to Austin, TX with five indoor courts, a wellness zone with sauna & cold plunges, fitness room, coworking space, and an on-site Revolución café.
Pop’s Padel just opened five indoor courts in Freeport, NY (within greater NYC), including four doubles courts and one singles court, all with 30-40-foot ceilings. The facility features men’s and women’s locker rooms, a retail shop, lounge, and food & beverage offerings, with lessons, clinics, leagues, and tournaments on the menu.
Additional Club Buzz 🐝
From Boston to Indianapolis to San Francisco, a growing number of clubs have recently been adding courts as they run into capacity constraints.
📈 Up Your Game So Who Should Play Left?
Padel players love treating their side of the court like a personality trait (right side represent!). But in this 7-minute video (in Spanish) from Mejora Tu Padel, Coach Pavel argues you should play the side that makes the most sense for your partnership.
Assuming you’re both right-handed players:
Taller players are typically better on the left. They can contact the ball higher, especially on overheads, meaning they generally have an easier time defending the net and handling lobs without retreating as far.
The better smasher shouldn’t necessarily play on the left. A right-handed player on the left can have a tougher time hitting an effective bajada or attacking overheads toward the cage, while the right-side player has different angles and options available.
And if you didn’t know by now… the faster mover and “overall better player” should play on the left, given that they (1) have to cover more ground, and (2) have more opportunities to step into the middle, poach balls, and take over points.
And on a more tactical note, keep this in mind: if you’re heading into a new set and the left side has completely drained your legs, you can legally switch sides between sets.
So next time you’re arguing with your buddy on who “gets” to play left, forget what side you normally play and instead ask “which side gives this partnership the best chance to win?” Suerte che!
🌍 International Happenings Argentine GOAT Bets Big on College Padel (🇺🇸)
For those unaware, there’s been a massive push to bring padel to American college campuses over the last year or so. Now, things are getting official. The American Collegiate Padel League just announced its inaugural season and a new partnership with padel GOAT Fernando “Bela” Belasteguín, becoming Wilson ACPL by Bela, billed as “the first national collegiate padel league in the US.” The inaugural season brings together 35+ schools and 200+ student-athletes across four regions, with regional competition running through November and national finals in March.
The 16x former World No. 1 will serve as the league’s lead ambassador and advisor alongside founding partner Wilson. Bela has already gotten his feet wet in the US through his sponsorship with Chicago-based Wilson and as Sporting Director of the Miami Premier Padel P1. But this partnership feels like a much bigger bet on the American market.
The league has cited goals of eventually opening scholarship pathways for international talent, something Bela himself highlighted. I’m skeptical that happens anytime soon, but I’m particularly excited about two other things:
Bela can serve as a bridge between America’s rapidly growing player base and the still-floundering number of Anglophone players who can’t name a single top-10 pro. Having a legitimate global icon attached to the college game could help turn players into fans of the professional game, too.
Padel is tailor-made for the next generation. It’s social and wellness-oriented, giving folks a reason to hang out without needing a keg in the room. Gen Z’s loneliness problem and decreasing alcohol consumption is well documented, while the broader longevity movement has made lifelong sports increasingly attractive.
On a personal note, I did the whole frat thing at UT Austin. While it was a blast full of stupid shenanigans, I wouldn’t be surprised if those four years took a year or two off my life. Padel has given me more friendships (more quickly), and I can still play it at 70. Had it existed in college, I would’ve prioritized it over Greek life without second thought. And I probably would’ve ended up with a sick group of multinational friends in the process.
In the long term, it’ll be fascinating to see how American college padel matures: the next big social network, a D1 sport, or hell, maybe both.
🏆 Pro Padel Roundup Threepeat Incoming? (🇳🇱🇩🇪🇯🇵)
Rotterdam had a familiar ending, but getting there was anything but predictable. Three of the tournament’s top four men’s pairs were knocked out in the quarter-finals, opening the door for a potential upset which never came. Golden Boys Coello / Tapia powered through, beating Stupaczuk / Sanz 6-3, 6-2 in the final for their 10th title of 2026 and 41st together in the Premier Padel era. On the women’s side, Sánchez / Ustero also went back-to-back, beating Josemaría / González 6-4, 6-4 for their fourth title of the season.
Now, they get to do it all over again this week. The circuit moves straight to Germany for the Düsseldorf P2, with Coello / Tapia and Sánchez / Ustero looking for a third consecutive title. But both will have their work cut out for them. No. 2s Chingotto / Galán are defending their men’s title, while No. 1s Brea / Triay are defending their women’s side. With a P1 in Milan next week, this three-tournament sprint could make for a very interesting stretch run.
Meanwhile on the international front, the Asian Games just wrapped up in Nagoya, Japan, where padel made its debut. Japan took down Indonesia to lock in the women’s gold medal. In the men’s draw, Qatar took gold over Malaysia.
🎯 Quick Hits Alas, Nike is now eyeing the women’s game, reportedly exploring signings with top players including Delfi Brea, Martina Calvo, and Andrea Ustero. No deals have been confirmed. (🇺🇸🇦🇷🇪🇸)
Madrid-based racket-sports platform Playtomic has acquired fitness and wellness software company TIMP, adding more than 3,500 sports centers to its ecosystem. (🇪🇸)
Czech “Strava for padel” app ACE (which launched earlier this year) has attracted a 50% investment from investment group Miton after reaching ~9,000 users, reportedly more than half of the country’s regular padel players. (🇨🇿)
French Tennis Federation vice president Éric Largeron says some regions may now have too many tournaments, and even too many clubs. (🇫🇷)
Padel Galis just partnered with Saudi Arabia’s Silver Foundation as part of a plan to build 100+ courts over the next three years. (🇸🇦)
Where should you sit at a pro padel tournament? On one hand, behind the glass might have the best tactical view, but along the side might allow you to truly appreciate the absurd speed of pro padel...
🤩 Cool Court of the Week📍 Goa, 🇮🇳
More info here!
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See you next week & keep smashing those volleys 🎾