Well That Escalated Quickly
El Remate #32 | What's hot in 🇺🇸 & 🌎 padel | May 19-26, 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! 📧
Greetings from Barcelona! 🇪🇸
I’m here for the Padel World Summit, a three-day trade event bringing together 140 exhibitors from 30+ countries across court construction, technology, retail, and investment.
I’ll be spending most of my time meeting builders in the space and getting a refined read on where the puck is headed globally. If you’re here too, let’s link!
🔍 Topics we’ll cover this weekA major tech hub is finally getting its first padel court, while a 130-year-old tennis institution just installed a few glass walls. And somewhere in between, a tour veteran called his current partner the best he’s ever had.
Meanwhile, and a Top-10 tennis pro just took a shot at the entire sport, but fear not… folks clapped back fast.
Also in this issue:
— The secret formula to winning with a weaker partner
— The No. 1s are this close to getting overthrown
— Tech M&A comes for padel
— Buenos Aires asks for seconds, but the money says nope
— When will the US get its first World Top 25 player?
…and plenty more. Seguimos!
🇺🇸 Court OpeningsComing Soon
Winter’s Over, But the Padel Avalanche Continues
More courts are landing in the Beehive State! Over in Vineyard, UT (40-minute drive from Salt Lake City), the new Utah City Racquet Club is coming next month inside the massive 700-acre “Utah City” urban development, bringing four padel courts, six pickleball courts, and two tennis courts. The club is positioning as a next-gen social hub blending padel, music, food, fitness, and community aimed squarely at younger players. Meanwhile, LA-based LVBL (known for blending racquet sports with social programming, music, and hospitality-style experiences) will operate the facility.
Now Open
Historic Landmark Gets a Glass Wall
This is a big one. Over in New York, NY, The West Side Tennis Club — founded in 1892 in Forest Hills, Queens, former home of the US Open, and one of the most storied racquet clubs in America — just installed its first padel court, a regulation Mundial from Padel Galis. The club already boasts nearly 40 tennis courts across all four surface types. The court is members-only through June, when guest access and programming open up.
Nearly Sold Out Upon Arrival
Poor Seattle, it waited forever for padel. Now the city can’t book courts fast enough. Jam Padel is opening the city’s first padel facility with a three-court pop-up in Bellevue’s Spring District, running a four-month activation right next to Meta’s campus (and demand is already going vertical). The club is rolling out free intro classes and limited founding memberships, with the pop-up acting as the first step toward a permanent Seattle footprint. Founder Pablo Arcuschin is already scouting long-term expansion, including a 25,000-square-foot space in the city’s Ballard neighborhood and plans for multiple additional locations across the region.
First Dedicated Spot in the State
Since our March preview, Foundry Padel has officially opened in Portland, OR’s Cathedral Park neighborhood, bringing Oregon its first dedicated padel facility. The 13,800 sq ft indoor club features four panoramic courts with ~45-foot ceilings, plus a café, pro shop, and mezzanine social spaces.
📈 Up Your Game How to Win with a Weaker Partner
Like anyone else out there, you probably find yourself getting roped into playing with a weaker partner… again. It’s either too awkward to decline, or you’re unable to find stronger players to hit with. So you begrudgingly accept.
Mid-game, your mood shifts and your opponents notice it too. And you become rightfully frustrated that every important ball is now going straight to your partner (aka “the fridge”).
In this 12-minute video, this Coach Gonzalo from Padel Drive says this is one of the most misunderstood situations in padel because most players react emotionally (vs. strategically).
The hard pill to swallow is that if you constantly think you’re “stuck” with weaker partners, you might not be as strong as you think. Better players tend to get invited by better players. If that’s not happening consistently, there’s probably a gap in your own game too.
Still, mismatched pairings happen all the time. The key is understanding the three dynamics unfolding on court:
Your opponents simplify the match by targeting your partner nonstop.
You start overplaying because you feel pressure to “save” every point.
Your partner either gets overwhelmed… or checks out completely because they assume you’ll carry them.
That combination creates the perfect recipe for frustration.
My notes on how to work around this:
Stop coaching mid-match
Nothing destroys chemistry and mental toughness faster than technical advice during a game. No one is rebuilding their mechanics during a third-set tiebreak. Keep strategy simple and forget technique!
Instead, give them one simple objective, like “lob the red shirt” or “target the middle at net.”
The faster you emotionally accept that your partner will see 70% of the balls, the less frustrated you become. Remember, this sport is incredibly mental.
Don’t become a superhero
Ex) You finally touch the ball after four straight rallies to your partner… and immediately try to hit a spectacular winner. Now you’re missing too.
Ironically, you’re contributing to the collapse you’re blaming your partner for.
Balance patience with intensity
On one end of the spectrum, if you get frustrated, your stress level spikes and your decision-making deteriorates.
On the other end, if you mentally disengage because rallies aren’t coming to you, your intensity drops too low and you become passive and lazy.
Thus, the sweet spot is controlled intensity.
Even when your partner is playing every ball, stay active by split-stepping and tracking the point. Stay engaged physically + mentally so when the ball does finally come to you, you’re ready to make a clean, strategic decision.
Assuming you and your partner are both right-handed, optimize your influence on the match by playing on the left side. It’ll allow you to:
control more overheads
cover the middle more aggressively
Tell the your partner to play more down the line
If your partner constantly plays crosscourt, opponents can keep recycling the ball right back to them endlessly.
Down-the-line shots naturally redirect the rally crosscourt toward you, allowing the stronger player to intercept more balls and take over more space.
Body language > words… do not be passive-aggressive when they miss a shot!
While pressure from opponents is manageable, pressure from your own teammate is what breaks players. Once they feel judged, the snowball starts.
Take your sweet time by slowing the match down when momentum flips
Take longer breaks between games to reset emotionally. Consider discussing one tactical adjustment.
Momentum in padel is very real, especially at the club/recreational level where confidence swings are massive.
Suerte! 🍀
🌍 International Happenings How Real Is the Tennis vs. Padel Rivalry?
In an interview this week, World No. 10 tennis player Alexander Bublik (🇷🇺🇰🇿) was asked about doubles specialists on tour. His answer escalated quickly:
“If you can’t play singles, you play doubles. If you can’t play doubles, you play padel. It’s as simple as that.”
Former padel world No. 1 Pablo Lima responded on Instagram within hours: “If you don’t know what you’re talking about… it’s better not to speak.” Sanyo Gutiérrez, currently active on tour, called it “very harsh” and said it diminishes every padel player’s merit.
Side-note, he also told reporters back in 2023 that he hates tennis with all his heart and only plays for the money. So he’s no stranger to provocativity.
For what it's worth, I’ve spent essentially my whole life playing tennis (which I’ll never stop) and I've never felt like I had to choose. They're different games that scratch different itches. Tennis is more technically demanding, padel is more chess-like and social. The only “rivalry” is the one that happens when you're trying to schedule both into the same week.
Look, he’s not entirely wrong. Tennis is technically harder to pick up given the bigger court, additional spin variation, and the serve alone taking years to develop.
The thing is, Bublik is confusing difficulty with value which is where he loses me. Padel has its own strategic depth, its own physical demands, and a social culture tennis has, respectfully, never come close to replicating.
The market doesn’t lie either. The Buenos Aires P1 drew nearly 17,000 spectators for the semifinals. And now padel will also feature as a full medal sport in September at the 2026 South American Games in Santa Fe, Argentina. (🇦🇷)
At least padel is interesting enough to be worth insulting...
🏆 Pro Padel RoundupThe Dust Hasn’t Fully Settled from Buenos Aires
So Wait, How Close Are the Rankings?
Chingalán’s victory over World No. 1s Coello / Tapia at the Buenos Aires P1 now has the rankings math moving in their favor.
To quickly explain, FIP rankings run on a rolling window. Points you earned at an event last year expire when that same event rolls around again. So while Coello and Tapia had strong results in Paraguay and Argentina in 2025, those points have since disappeared from their total, narrowing the gap between them and Chingalán (aka the No. 2s). The current gap is under 3,000 points (essentially one tournament result separating the Top 2).
The catch is that the same logic cuts both ways. Chingalán won the upcoming Italy Major last year, which means their Rome points expire after this tournament too. So at best they tread water and wait for the calendar to do the rest.
Off the court post-Buenos Aires, Galán said Chingotto is “the best partner I’ve ever had” (recall he played alongside Juan Lebrón for four years). “If I’m reaching my best level, it’s thanks to him.”
On the women’s side, a similar chase is playing out. Triay / Brea still lead the FIP rankings, but Bea González arrives in Rome in a uniquely favorable position because she isn’t defending nearly as many points as her rivals. A deep run for González and Josemaría, combined with an early exit for Triay / Brea, would give Bea the world number one ranking for the first time in her career. Be on the lookout.
Argentina Wants More, But Money…
The Buenos Aires P1 drew nearly 17,000 spectators, setting a new attendance record for a padel match. Spaniard veteran Paquito Navarro took to social media immediately after his quarterfinal exit to call for more events in the country: “We’ll fill any venue. Next year we want another tournament.” Asociación Pádel Argentino president Santiago Brito echoed the sentiment, openly questioning why Argentina only gets one date when the appetite is clearly there.
But in reality, a Major in Buenos Aires (aka Belasteguín’s dream scenario) is, per Brito himself, “not viable.” Prize money nearly doubles, costs follow, and the player field is identical to a P1. The numbers don’t close. Even a P2 in other Argentine cities like Córdoba or Mendoza remains a Premier Padel decision (not Argentina’s) to make. And despite Brito’s cheeky idea to host the Premier Finals in Buenos Aires in December (aka summer in Argentina), Barcelona is (for now) a closed conversation.
Argentina clearly has unmatched passion, proven infrastructure, and an event that’s beginning to turn a profit after years of cost overruns. What it doesn’t have yet is leverage over a calendar that still gives South America “little bro” status. The fans definitely deserve better, but the economics aren’t there yet.
All Roads Lead to Rome
Looking ahead, the circuit heads to Foro Italico for the Italy Major — the first Major of the 2026 season (and the richest on the calendar), with a prize pool topping €1 million. Main draw action begins Tuesday, June 2, with the men’s and women’s finals set for Sunday, June 7.
🎯 Quick Hits SportAI (🇳🇴) completed its acquisition of Padelytics (🇨🇭🇷🇸), signaling a push toward a unified, AI-driven platform across padel, tennis, and pickleball.
France’s padel boom just hit a new milestone with 1.15M tournament entries and 7+ annual tournaments per player on average. (🇫🇷)
The Padel Association of Canada and the Canadian Universities Padel League have joined forces to build a national collegiate pathway for the sport. (🇨🇦)
NHL star Alex Ovechkin may be weighing retirement, but he’s still grinding through offseason workouts in Russia, including time on the padel court. (🇷🇺🇺🇸)
An interesting piece just came out on how padel may be the next inefficiency-rich goldmine for American sports bettors. (🇺🇸)
Padel GOAT Fernando Belasteguín is expanding his Spanish club empire to Argentina, bringing the Bela Padel Center project to the Buenos Aires suburbs. (🇦🇷)
Lucía Sainz has resigned after six years as president of the women’s-focused International Padel Players Association, with world No. 1 Gemma Triay stepping in to lead the next chapter. The timing raises fresh questions around Sainz’s playing future. (🇪🇸🌎)
Reddit’s padel community ran the math on when 🇺🇸 produces its first Top 25 player. TLDR, it ain’t gonna be anytime soon...
This is how padel balls are made! 🤯
🤩 Cool Club of the Week📍 Arzachena, 🇮🇹
More info here!
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See you next week & keep smashing those volleys 🎾