On the occasion of the final of the  4PADEL Comeback , organized in an exceptional setting at the foot of the Eiffel Tower,  Yoann Chartron , marketing manager at Babolat France, confided in Padel Magazine on brand development in padel.

The growing importance of padel in the business of BabolatInfrastructure development, creation of an academy for young people, strategy with clubs, new range of rackets or the Juan Lebrón phenomenon: he returns to a market that continues to exceed forecasts.

"A padel court in front of the Eiffel Tower, that's pretty crazy."

 Padel Magazine Three years ago, could we have imagined installing a padel court here in Paris, with the Eiffel Tower behind us? 

 Yoann Chartron:  In our dreams, maybe! But 4PADEL has done it, and we're supporting them on this project. It's pretty amazing, and we're really enjoying it.

 How did this collaboration around the Remontada come about? 

It all started with the Betclic Remontada project PadelWith 4PADEL, we wanted to reach recreational players, create a real celebration of padel and offer something different.

After all the qualifying stages organized in the regions, the idea was to bring all the winners together here for the final phase. And this will continue.

The goal is to create something truly special. For those unfamiliar with La Remontada, it's really a recreational tournament. We're not running an officially sanctioned competition. There are promotion and relegation rounds, fun formats, jokers, dares… It's really designed for recreational players.

A 4PADEL Academy by Babolat to give young people a chance to play

 Padel Magazine Your collaboration with 4PADEL will also take on another dimension with the training of young people. What is the project? 

It's here  4PADEL Academy by Babolat In France, there are still very few young people and juniors who play padel. It is starting to develop, but slowly.

For young people to take up padel, centers need to offer training and tailored courses. That's what 4PADEL does in its centers.

For our part, with our product and teaching expertise, as well as our network of coaches and players, we will support 4PADEL in the creation of this program and academy.

The goal is to provide young people with suitable equipment and training. The project is still under development, so we cannot yet go into all the details.

Two to three years to develop a new collection

 Padel Magazine You're already working on the next generations of rackets. How long does it take to Babolat To prepare a new collection? 

It takes about  two to three years of work  to release a collection.

The 2025 collection is already complete and on display in our stores. One of the main changes will involve one of our core product lines, which will be significantly updated with new technologies.

There will also be the new  Viper Lebrón .

 Are we still talking about a very powerful racket? 

Yes, and it's not a racket for everyone. You need to be an experienced player to be able to handle such a demanding racket.

This is clearly not a racket that we would recommend to a recreational player.

Juan Lebrón: "He brings padel to life like no other player."

 Padel Magazine Speaking of Juan Lebrón, he's been the subject of much discussion, both for his on-track performances and his behavior. What are your thoughts on him? 

I think there's one player who evokes strong emotions in everyone. Some will perceive them negatively, others positively: it's him.

 He brings padel to life like no other player. 

Sometimes it manifests as minor outbursts on the sidelines. Sometimes it's extraordinary feats. But Juan is exceptional. He's exceptional in his emotions and reactions. He's genuine.

 Padel Magazine There isn't really a filter… 

There's always something happening. And that's great for padel.

What interests fans most is that something happens.

Babolat wants to be present directly in the clubs

 Padel Magazine What is the current strategy of Babolat to continue developing in padel? 

Our priority is to be present at the places where practice takes place.

We have strong partnerships with companies such as 4PADEL and All In Padel et PadelShot. In addition to this, there are all the partner tennis clubs of Babolat which are gradually equipping themselves with padel courts.

This allows us to be very present with the players. That's really our primary strategy.

Padel already represents 17% of the activity of Babolat France

 Padel Magazine The number of participants is exploding in France. Is this growth now directly reflected in your revenue? 

Yes.  Padel is growing enormously. 

At the end of 2023, it represented  17% of our turnover in France .

Historically, we have a significant badminton activity in France, representing 13%. And for the first time, padel has overtaken badminton.

Today, the distribution is therefore approximately  70% for tennis, 17% for padel and 13% for badminton .

This difference with tennis is primarily related to the playing locations. There are still many more tennis courts and many more places to play tennis. It's a sport that has been established for a long time.

But we think padel will gradually become more popular around  30% of our business .

"In ten years, will tennis and padel be at a 50-50 split?"

 Padel Magazine How far can this progress go? Can we imagine padel one day reaching the level of tennis? Babolat France ? 

Padel is surprising. Every time a number is announced, it turns out to be better.

Will we be at  50-50  We are unable to say.

On the other hand, the 20 or 25%, given the evolution of our markets, will arrive quickly.

Then, everything will depend on the development of practice spaces.

 Padel Magazine These figures only concern Babolat France ? 

Yes. Babolat France makes approximately  35 million euros in turnover and padel represents 17% of that.

Globally, the situation is different, particularly due to the size of the Spanish market. But the trend remains the same:  Padel is gaining market share and continues to grow. 

Spain, Italy and Belgium are also driving the market

 Padel Magazine Even Spain, which some considered to have reached maturity, continues to evolve. How? Babolat Has he established himself in this market? 

The Spanish market is indeed quite mature. We got there by being very strong in footwear and a little less so in rackets.

We had, in particular, the Jet PadelOur expertise in footwear allowed us to adopt a strategy that we didn't necessarily use in tennis: contracting with players solely on footwear, even when they were using a racket from another brand.

It was also a way to penetrate a market that was much less saturated for shoes than for rackets.

Today, other countries are also driving this growth.  Italy is driving the market, and so is Belgium. 

"France will gradually overtake Belgium."

 Padel Magazine Belgium already has an impressive number of runways. Is there a fundamental difference with the French development? 

Not really. The Belgians were simply faster in developing their infrastructure.

There are many private centers in Belgium, but also padel courts in tennis clubs. The development is therefore quite similar to that in France.

It's simply that in France, things are moving a little more slowly. But slowly and surely.

 France will gradually overtake Belgium. 

Belgium remains a true country of racket sports. It's a country of tennis and padel. You only have to see the atmosphere during the Premier Padel from Brussels.

Padel has a great future for everyone, and that's great.

A market that continues to surprise

Between a share of turnover that has already exceeded that of badminton in France, a projection of around 20 to 30% of the activity, the development of academies for young people and the multiplication of courts, Babolat no longer considers padel as a secondary activity.

And Yoann Chartron leaves one question particularly open:  If padel continues to exceed expectations, how close can it get to tennis in the next ten years? 

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.

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