The Kids Aren't Alright
El Remate #37 | What's hot in 🇺🇸 & 🌎 padel | June 23-30, 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 weekThe Eastern Time Zone is fillin’ in. And the king won a title in his hometown, then his partner turned around and called the conditions “not pretty padel.”
Meanwhile, we’re in the midst of a youth development K-curve. Oh, and a cartel lieutenant thought padel was worth blowing his cover for.
Also in this issue:
— Why “hero smash syndrome” keeps you donating points
— Looks like the UK’s biggest padel problem is similar to ours
— Municipal padel continues its gradual trickle into the US
— What does proper warm-up etiquette look like?
…and plenty more. Seguimos!
🇺🇸 Court OpeningsComing Soon
Per our friends at Padel Nation, Arena Club is bringing two indoor padel courts to Chattanooga, TN, alongside 12 pickleball courts, a fitness center, rooftop plunge pool, upscale dining, and social spaces. It's a fitting development for a region that was home to one of America's oldest padel courts before it was recently demolished, giving East Tennessee a fresh opportunity to reclaim its place on the American padel map.
Now Open
In metro Detroit, the city of Southgate, MI has officially opened a municipal racquet sports complex featuring one outdoor padel court (for now, given strong municipal interest to add more 😏), alongside six pickleball courts and two tennis courts. The $1.5 million facility also includes lighting, permanent shade structures, and spectator seating. This announcement comes shortly after another municipal court addition in the Texas panhandle.
NY/NJ-based Nicol has officially opened three outdoor padel courts in Fort Monmouth, NJ, marking the next phase of its growing racquet sports community. Founded by former World No. 1 squash player Peter Nicol, the club blends squash, pickleball, and padel, with additional outdoor amenities still under construction.
📈 Up Your Game Coello Teaches (in English!) How to Avoid “Hero Smash Syndrome”
Just like you and me, even World No. 1 Arturo Coello has fallen victim to trying to force a sexy smash winner when the smart play is still available.
In this 5-minute video, Coello (whose English is quite good!) explains the importance of choosing the right lob to “kill.”
If and when you do decide to go for a smash, first decide the type of outcome you want, which is either (1) a controlled “por tres” setup, or (2) a true winner attempt.
Second, as you go for that smash:
Remember that contact point is king! Whatever you do, do NOT meet the ball low or drifting. You want it at the highest, cleanest point you can reach to give you optimal control, direction, and (of course) power.
Rather than watching the lob and hitting squarely “at” it, rotate so your body is already aligned with where you want the ball to end up.
Legs (not arms) are the engine that generate controlled depth and angle. Thus, no flat feet!
A “70%” smash aimed correctly is more lethal than a “100%” attempt that comes off the glass and resets the point. Direction > power.
TLDR, think critically about which ball is genuinely worth smashing. And when you do decide to pull the trigger, be smart about how you execute. Suerte!
🌍 International Happenings The Widening Youth Development Gap
The Rafa Nadal Academy just launched a full annual youth padel residency program incorporating an academic curriculum, on-site nutrition, and sport psychology. Based in Mallorca, 🇪🇸, it’s the first program at that scale to treat padel development the way elite tennis has been treated for decades.
An equivalent doesn’t currently exist in 🇺🇸. Right now, the closest thing is Mouratoglou Academy in Zephyrhills, FL, with a year-round tennis-focused boarding school, with five padel courts. They might be gradually looking to replicate their model for padel… but for now, it’s just an amenity inside a tennis academy. And similarly, the internationally-renowned IMG Academy in nearby Bradenton, FL only has padel integrated as a complementary off-court activity and cross-training sport. You also have USPA-endorsed coaching certification programs like RB Padel Academy and Premier Padel’s new global clinics platform tied to tour stops.
What's strange is that similar infrastructure already exists. Mouratoglou, IMG, and dozens of smaller tennis academies have the courts, the boarding, the coaching systems, and junior pipelines. Why hasn’t adding padel-primary development become a bigger trend? Is there still not enough incentive yet?
🏆 Pro Padel Roundup Hometown Hero Delivers a Killer Finish (🇪🇸)
The Premier Padel Tour wrapped up the Valladolid P2 with a pair of emotional victories. On the men’s side, world No. 1s Coello / Tapia continued their dominant run, defeating rivals Chingotto / Galán 6-4, 6-3 to claim their fifth title of the season and third consecutive championship. The victory carried extra significance for Coello, a Valladolid native, who celebrated the trophy alongside family and friends in the iconic Plaza Mayor. Highlights here.
Despite the win, Tapia offered an interesting critique of the tournament conditions. With soaring temperatures causing the ball to fly (thus causing points to end quickly), he argued that the ultra-fast court speed took away from the sport's tactical side, calling it “not pretty padel.”
On the women’s side, González / Josemaría returned to the winner’s circle with a convincing 6-4, 6-2 dub over Sánchez / Ustero. After seeing their five-tournament winning streak snapped in Rome, González and Josemaría responded in style to capture their sixth title of the season. Highlights here.
With Valladolid now in the books, the tour wastes no time shifting its attention to the Bordeaux P2.
🎯 Quick Hits After 30+ years as the “United States Padel Association,” the US’ national governing body just officially rebranded as USA Padel. The move signals a new era for American padel, with leadership teasing major partnerships, new programs, and platform investments as rapid growth continues. (🇺🇸)
The 2026 UK Padel Report just came out, highlighting the sport’s nationwide bottleneck: turning “trial players” into habitual ones through better pricing and venue design. With peak-hour courts averaging ~£42/hr, but players’ willingness to pay clustering far lower, operators now face a clear tension between commercial returns and building a sustainable, mass participation sport. This sounds eerily familiar to what we have Stateside… (🇬🇧)
Premier Padel just launched its own podcast (in Spanish), dubbed “Bandeja de Premier Padel,” with the first episode released this past week. (🌎)
Four of America's top collegiate players will represent the US at the 2026 FISU World University Padel Championship in Málaga. Suerte! (🇺🇸,🇪🇸)
Just in time for the fourth, Babolat is launching a USA-exclusive “red, white, and blue” racket collection. (🇺🇸)
An organized crime group lieutenant resurfaced in plain sight within Dubai’s competitive padel circuit. Guess hiding takes a back seat when the addiction’s calling 🤷♂️ (🇮🇪,🇦🇪)
Turns out, Lionel Messi has confirmed his favorite sport outside of soccer is padel. (🇦🇷)
Players debate: what is proper warm-up etiquette?
🤩 Cool Club of the Week📍 La Massana, 🇦🇩
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 🎾