Nicolas Benadon: 2021, the best padel year of Babolat

Nicolas Benadon, Director of Activation and Communication at Babolat takes stock of the year 2021 for the French brand.

Growth despite the crisis

“It's a very good year for Babolat in general. Regarding padel, we are talking about a turnover that has more than doubled in a single year. And yet the year 2021 is not over yet!

I can see it perfectly, this progression is almost “counter-intuitive”. Indeed, Covid-related news is hurting the global economy, mBut padel has taken advantage of the fact that it is a non-contact and partly outdoor sport. In many countries, it has been able to take advantage of this state to recover many athletes, and inevitably, these athletes have fallen crazy about this sport because it is terribly addictive."

“In reality, for the last 2 or 3 years there has been a much more marked acceleration in the development of padel. Then there was Covid, and since, as I said, padel is not a contact sport, it was able to be much better exposed than team sports. “

Records! And the best years are yet to come

"Babolat launched into padel in 2000, so we celebrated our 20th anniversary last year. The brand is currently experiencing its best years in padel, and our projections are very positive. We can say that this is just the beginning, because we can see that “padelmania” is reaching all continents and that we are at the beginning of the incredible adventure.”

Currently, growth is mainly driven by Spain, Italy, Sweden and France. More generally, we are seeing great European growth.

In terms of equipment, we are in continuity with 2021. The Air Viper was recently crowned “pala of the year” in the Padel Spain Awards, which is obviously a great reward for us.

In 2022, we have to count on the new Viper range, which equips the world number 1 Juan Lebron. There will also be a new launch of padel shoes soon. But for now we can't say anything yet!

WPT and APT: two circuits that complement each other!

"We do not have the same relationship with the World Padel Tour and the APT Padel Tour.

We are partners of the APT. We are very present on the circuit, we go to events, we have shops there. The APT is a very international, open and inclusive circuit, and in this sense it is very interesting for Babolat. We are the official partner of the circuit in terms of balls and shoes.

“In the WPT, we are present through our players. And during the Master in Madrid, we were obviously highlighted via Juan Lebron who won the tournament.

APT and WPT are two circuits that complement each other in a certain way. In reality, this multitude of players in padel is very positive since it shows a growing interest in this sport.”

An important Team Pro still in 2022

“We can see it clearly in the media with Beinsport, Canal +: this sport is becoming popular. There is growing interest at all levels.

We are looking to partner with tournaments, with players, to support them, and to support the development of padel. There are positions to be had with this still young sport which is in the process of being structured.

Babolat will continue to have an important Team Pro. Every year we try to strengthen it and we will have new players in 2022… We are not telling you more for the moment! ”

Xan Tafernaberry

Xan is a fan of padel. But also of rugby! And his posts are just as punchy. Physical trainer of several padel players, he finds atypical posts or deals with current topics. He also gives you some advice to develop your physique for padel. Clearly, he imposes his offensive style as on the padel court!