The various measures taken by European governments to  fight against Covid-19  shut down the vast majority of sports activities in 2020 but some sports are doing better than others. This is particularly the case of  padel which has continued to gain ground across the Old Continent .

Europe, the engine of padel expansion

It is a real craze for padel that we have witnessed in recent years and the growth of this accessible and friendly sport does not seem set to slow down. If it is now  present in 57 countries  according to World Padel Tour, it is indeed in Europe that he knows the greatest interest, with  11 new padel courts built last year,  if we believe the newspaper Columna Deportiva which testifies to the importance that padel is taking in the lives of Europeans!

Note that we tried to find out more about these 11.000 new courts. A figure to be taken with a pinch of salt. As your journalist and Alsatian padel player explains, Jerome Arnoux, "that would make an average of 234 new sites in each of the 47 countries of Europe, that's too good to be true ...".

delta sports constructors

This growing interest has been accompanied by an exponential growth of a padel economy. And brands and investors alike have smelled a good deal. Now, big brands are investing not only in sports equipment but also in facilities and infrastructure related to its practice.

While the market was still dominated by predominantly Spanish brands, we can see the considerable weight taken by brands historically focused on tennis like Head, Wilson, and Babolat.

A still very Spanish sport

The role played by Spain in the development of padel cannot be underestimated. As previously stated, a very large part of the brands that control the padel market are Spanish and it is on the Iberian Peninsula where the largest number of courts are found.

It is now common to see very high quality padel courts built in private collective residences.  Padel is no longer only played in clubs , it is also played at home.

And if padel was still considered a bourgeois sport ten years ago, like golf, it is now  popular with the general population Padel schools are flourishing in all corners of the country and the result of this development policy can be seen at the highest level since Spanish players occupy the top positions in the world rankings, only rivaled by the Argentines.

Palau Sant Jordi WPT

It's obvious that  Spain plays a major role in the development of padel  in Europe and around the world, where we see more and more coaches exporting their talents all over the world.

Finally, it is remarkable to note that the  World Padel Tour displayed live on Spanish TV  during each tournament and the audiences reach exceptional levels. Last year, on the occasion of the Barcelona Master, nearly 10 spectators were present in the stands of the Palau Sant Jordi to see the elite of padel play while thehis Youtube channel recorded more than 2 million views over the 4 days of competition!

Malick N'diaye padel columnist

If tennis is a sport that drives you crazy, then multiply that madness by 2 and you get padel.

Expat in Malaga, passionate about sports and photography, Malick immediately fell for padel. If you don’t find him on a court working on his “bandeja”, he will surely be hiking, GoPro in hand.

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