SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Move over pickleball. Another racket sport is gaining popularity around the world: padel.
“It’s new. It’s fun. It’s competitive,” padel enthusiast Christina Minju said.
Minju is a regular at Park Padel in South San Francisco.
“People in the league say pickleball is a hobby, padel is a sport,” Minju said.
Padel, which combines elements of squash and tennis, is played in courts about a third smaller than tennis and surrounded by clear walls. It was invented in Mexico in 1969 and is now getting a rebirth.
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In 2016, only 10,000 courts existed worldwide. That number is expected to grow to 70,000 in 2026. That is according to Playtomic, which connects players with clubs.
“Pickleball is to the U.S. as padel is to a lot of the rest of world,” said Jessica Talbert, co-founder of Park Padel. “It’s very social. It’s always played in doubles and really, really popular in places like Spain, France, Sweden Dubai and it’s just now making its way to the U.S.”
Talbert co-founded Park Padel with Neil Chainani and Katie Lampert.
They opened a location at Embarcadero Plaza in San Francisco in 2023 and the South San Francisco Oyster Point flagship location in November of last year.
It features six indoor courts complete with a lounge, and locker rooms.
They have plans to open a spot in Sacramento soon.
“Our goal is to provide padel across California and the U.S. so we’ll continue to expand and grow over the next couple of years,” Talbert said.
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While padel uses the same scoring system as tennis, these players say padel ranks superior.
“I don’t even play tennis anymore and I’m worried that if I play tennis I’m going to ruin my swing that I’ve practiced to do well in this court,” Minju said.
There are other places to play padel in the Bay Area.
Bay Padel is based in Treasure Island and Dogpatch and offers pickleball and padel. They have plans to open locations in San Jose, Sunnyvale, Santa Cruz and New York.
“As the first dedicated Padel and Pickleball club in San Francisco, we’ve seen an explosion of interest from players of all backgrounds, whether they’re picking up a racket for the first time or transitioning from other sports,” Bay Padel said in a statement.
In 2023, more than 2,500 new padel clubs opened across the world and the U.S. Padel Association says there’s a rising number of facilities and players nationwide.
“We are seeing a surge in new padel courts being added to both existing racquet clubs and standalone padel facilities, reflecting the sport’s increasing popularity,” the association said in a statement.
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