At Wimbledon this year, Novak Djokovic issued a chilling warning to tennis fans. The 24-time Grand Slam winner from Serbia said the racket sport he has dedicated his life to was "in danger" because of the rise of another. He was referring to padel.
The first thing you need to know about padel is that it is pronounced pad-le, not pad-el. In the US, they call it pickleball. The other thing? Padel is not tennis: you don't just wear white.
I share this wisdom early on to save you from blushing when you inevitably jump on the bandwagon. Unfortunately, I wasn't armed with these facts prior to my own debut earlier this month.
My own rosy cheeks looked radiant against my all-white Adidas outfit (shirt £38, shorts £45), albeit with Asics Gel-Challenger 14 padel shoes (£105) and a Summum Maxima Prism by Varlion racquet (Pulco £380), and I took to the courts at Padel Social Club in Earls Court, west London. (NB These garments were light, airy and comfortable to wear - just choose different colours. And remember: pad-le.)
It's Wednesday afternoon, just after 3pm, but the venue is bustling. It's one big social event; music is playing on surround sound speakers. Guests are drinking ice-cold lagers and Aperol spritzes as the July sun beats down on the club's trendy black shipping container units.
It's hard to imagine your local tennis club ever having that vibe, hence Djokovic's fear that the new cool padel scene could overshadow interest in grassroots tennis. I've only been here half an hour and I can see why he's worried.
"Tennis is the king or queen of all racket sports, that's true. But at club level, tennis is in danger," he said. "If we don't do anything about it, as I said, globally or collectively, padel, pickleball in [the] States to convert all tennis clubs into padel and pickleball clubs [clubs]."
The number of people playing padel has more than doubled from 12 million in 2014 to 30 million in 2024, according to the International Padel Federation. A report by the Playtonic industry showed that 4.5 million padel rackets were sold last year.
In the UK there are now an estimated 200,000 amateur players and 470 courses at 173 clubs. I'm here to find out what all the fuss is about.
Enrique Corcuera founded padel when he built the world's first tennis court in his vacation home in Acapulco, Mexico in 1969. Rumor has it that he wanted a tennis court but his garden wasn't big enough, and so a new sport was born.
T-shirt£36 and shorts£40, Bullpadel; Padel shoes, £134.99, Babolat; Socks£10 and Canon of Varlion racket£250, both Pulco Studios; Sunglasses, £227, Rudy projectPadel is played on an artificial surface with the court surrounded by glass walls and a net separating the two halves of the space. The rules are the same as tennis, with two exceptions: it must be played in doubles and you are allowed to return a shot if it hits the court and then bounces off one of the walls. Oh, and the racket looks like a smaller Lego version of a regular tennis racket.
Padel is very much in fashion with the rich and famous. Sporting legends such as Lionel Messi, David Beckham and Serena Williams (does that make her a traitor?) are among its supporters. Several Premier League footballers across the country are also said to have a penchant for padel. Fans include Pippa Middleton and Shakira, Gerard Butler and Enrique Inglesias. How's that for broad appeal?
It's no surprise then that fashion brands want in on the action. The most extravagant launches are rackets from Prada and Versace, which retail for £1,470 and £1,020 respectively. Dedicated sports brands such as Wilson and Babolat produce padel rackets in the more modest price range of £70-£325.
Elsewhere, luxury British brand Dunhill sponsored a padel tournament in May at The Hurlingham Club, an exclusive members' club in west London. Richard Mille and Versace have indeed hosted similar events, illustrating how the trendy sport has clearly caught on with the world's most style-conscious.
There are also traditional padel brands such as Budapell. The yellow T-shirt (£36) is made from a lightweight polyester and is typical of the clothing associated with the sport. It has quick dry technology, so you sweat less while playing. I can personally vouch for its effectiveness. The brand also offers elasticated sports shorts (£40), which allow you to dart around without limits.
The internal mesh isn't entirely to my taste, but that's a matter of personal preference. Babolat have also designed special padel shoes (£134.99) which provide excellent grip as I jog around practicing. Padel is often played outdoors in sunny conditions, so the Rudy Project glasses (£227) came in handy. I quickly forgot I was wearing them, which is the mark of a good pair of sports glasses. If they don't fit properly, they can quickly become a nuisance.
It's edgy brands like Pulco Studios that are making real waves among the in-the-know padel community. The London-based clothing company has tapped into the "Gorp Core" trend that has become ubiquitous in British street fashion. While the high-end performance gear is designed to be worn on the padel court, you're also likely to see it on hipsters in East London bars on a Friday night.
Fashion industry veteran Joe Middleton, who was president of the European division at Levi's, has now teamed up with his son Charlie to create this distinctive label. The AirCon play shirt is the technical core product, designed to accelerate sweat evaporation and prevent the top from sticking to the body during wear.
Despite wearing the AirCon shirt (£90) and Gilet (£140) (which admittedly was an aesthetic choice rather than because I needed an extra layer) I stayed perfectly warm. The brand's bucket hat (£40) speaks to the trendy ethos and also did a good job of keeping the sun out of my eyes.
When Pulco first developed the range, Joe and Charlie studied the life of a typical padel player in London. They discovered that players were often young professionals who worked in the city and would get changed in the office before cycling to their local padel club. So Pulco created a padel-specific backpack (£480) that would have space for everything they need on court, but also protect them from the elements along the way.
Three friends and I play a few games and then have a debriefing in the club courtyard with a beer. We all agree that padel is more fun and sociable than tennis. Why? Because it is very easy to learn and lends itself well to a decent rally. The games are exciting; they have momentum and more often than not end with shouting, laughing or a swear word.
You sprint, you slide, you might even dive, but it doesn't feel too strenuous. And best of all, you can feel yourself getting better the faster you go. I can see why so many people get the hang of it and adopt the style as they go.
