Revenge 'n' Trash Talk
El Remate #21 | What's hot in 🇺🇸 & 🌎 padel | Mar. 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! 📧
🔍 Topics we’ll cover this weekPadel’s 🇺🇸 footprint just got a lot bigger (and wetter). And on the global front, padel took yet another massive step toward the Olympics, while the pro tour may have delivered its most drama-ridden weekend yet.
Also in this issue:
— Fellow addict/disciple tells you how to master the dejada (& it actually works!)
— Hollywood’s unexpected padel cameo
— Padel’s golf invasion
— What Tapia & Coello do with their racquets is none of now your business
Time to grab your mate (👯 or 🧉 depending on where you’re reading this from), your racquet, and a fresh can of balls. Seguimos!
🇺🇸 Club OpeningsNortheast 🤝 Northwest
🗽 Island Expands to Padel
Sportime Randall’s Island (long known as one of the biggest racket-sports hubs in New York City, sitting just east of Manhattan between Harlem, Queens, and the Bronx) has officially added padel to the mix. The sprawling sports complex already hosts dozens of tennis courts and the famed John McEnroe Tennis Academy, and now the club has opened three indoor padel courts inside its flagship facility. Expect leagues, clinics, tournaments, and plenty of open play to come.
🌲 Wet Region Breaks Dry Spell
Alas, after years of false starts, two ownership groups have signed deals to open the Seattle area’s first padel facilities: one in the city’s Ballard neighborhood, and another in suburban Kirkland. Public details are still pretty sparse, but thankfully my buddy Austin shedded a bit more light on this here. Big shoutout Pacific Padel.
📈 Up Your Game POV: Your buddy gives you killer dropshot wisdom from his private lesson
A few issues back, we talked about the padel drop shot, or “dejada,” sharing tips from a Spanish Top-100 pro on how to turn it from a gamble into a weapon.
Those notes were great.
But this week I stumbled across a YouTube video that might be even more relatable, which I think deserves a Part II. Think of this as one amateur passing along what finally clicked. If he can figure it out, so can the rest of us ;)
My notes below:
Think “stop the ball,” not “cut the ball”
The biggest breakthrough came from a simple double volley:
First volley → as vertical as possible
Second volley → normal volley
Put your weight forward
Once you lean into the shot instead of flicking at it, the racket face softens the contact and the ball naturally starts dying off the bounce
In this context, keep the racket closer to your body
The closer it is, the more control you have
Train the feel with “no-bounce” rallies
One drill looked almost like a beach-ball game. The student & pro rallied without letting the ball bounce, trying to keep the ball soft and low
This forced the student to get to the ball quickly, stay close and compact, and control the racket face
Great warm-up drill before matches too, btw
Put it together with a simple pattern that simulates match play: split step → volley → split step → drop shot, over and over
Clear mechanical cues will naturally emerge from this, like putting your weight forward, staying close to the ball, having a compact swing, and keeping a stable racket at contact
I tried this myself and it worked extremely well. Give it a go too. Happy dropshotting!
🌍 International Happenings 🏅 One Step Closer to the Olympics…
Padel has officially been confirmed as a medal sport at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, marking another key milestone as the sport continues its rapid expansion across Asia and the globe.
A formal agreement was signed between the Games’ organizing committee, the Olympic Council of Asia, and the International Padel Federation (FIP), which will oversee the sporting delivery of the tournament in coordination with the host organizers. The 2026 Games, running from September 19 - October 4 in 🇯🇵, will give padel one of the biggest multi-sport stages it has appeared on to date.
Because the Asian Games function as Asia’s equivalent of the Olympics, the inclusion is another quiet but meaningful step in padel’s push toward eventual Olympic inclusion, with many in the sport now eyeing a potential debut at the 2032 Summer Olympics in Brisbane.
🏆 Pro Padel RoundupGijón, the City of Revenge (🇪🇸)
Two teams who fell short at the Riyadh P1 came roaring back in northern Spain, as Gemma Triay / Delfi Brea and Ale Galán / Fede Chingotto captured titles at the Premier Padel Gijón P2, delivering a weekend full of marathon rallies with a lil’ side of locker-room drama.
The women’s final was an absolute war, with Triay / Brea edging out Riyadh victors Ariana Sánchez / Andrea Ustero 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 in a 3-hour, 3-minute thriller. Even crazier to me was the stat sheet: 59 winning points vs. 57, but also 61 unforced errors from the eventual champs. Peep the highlights here, and pay attention to Ustero - her defensive gets are mind-blowing.
The men’s final delivered the sport’s emerging clásico. Galán and Chingotto took down world No. 1s Arturo Coello (on his 24th bday 😬) and Agustín Tapia 7-5, 7-6, snapping their four-match win streak… guess they’re human after all. Highlights here.
Fans online were eating it up. One viewer summed up the collective mood: “I seriously need to stop watching these finals - I’m way too emotionally invested.”
And just to add a lil’ 🌶️, Argentine power-smash machine Leandro Augsburger stirred the pot during the week, casually saying he’s “not a fan” of Galán and doesn’t find him “a big deal.”
Galán’s response was calm, measured, and very veteran-esque… essentially “great player, tough environment, wish him the best.”
Next stop for the tour is the Cancún P2, followed by a much-anticipated Miami P1. Grab popcorn if you haven’t already.
🎯 Quick HitsPadel has finally hit Hollywood! Paramount’s Preschool (March 17) puts padel front and center with Josh Duhamel facing off in a match, making it arguably the first major studio film to showcase the sport in action. Fast forward to 1:09 in the movie trailer to see for yourself
Why does Tapia swap rackets mid-tournament? Players debate whether it comes down to carbon type, rubber feel, indoor vs. outdoor conditions, or even marketing strategy
Padel, pickleball, and wellness tech took center stage at this year’s PGA Show, signaling how private clubs are adapting to changing preferences among golf consumers 🏌️♀️
Secret’s out! Here’s how world No. 1 Coello configures his HEAD Pro 2026 racquet
How to target the weakest player 😂
🤩 Cool Club of the Week📍 Vilnius, 🇱🇹
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 or news to share, just respond to this email :)
See you next week & keep smashing those volleys 🎾