Dear Padel Nation readers,
First off, a big thank you for signing up to follow along as I explore (and chronicle) the brands, clubs, communities, and culture driving the U.S. padel revolution.
Last year was an incredibly difficult one for me on a personal level for many reasons — and despite actually beginning to lay the groundwork for Padel Nation well over a year ago (with me first starting to build my padel map as far back as November 2024), it wasn’t until just a few weeks ago I finally got it off the ground.
To be honest, there were many, many times I considered just bailing on the project altogether.
But, as comedian and fellow padel addict Andrew Schulz told Joe Rogan on his podcast (which is still the only episode of the Joe Rogan Experience I’ve ever listened to):
The magic of padel is that even when the ball gets past you and you think you’ve lost the point, there’s always that hope (however small) that, thanks to the unique nature of a padel court, you can still find a way to battle back and keep the point going.
Granted, I’m paraphrasing a bit — but, let’s just say, I somehow finally managed to personally battle back and keep the point going (with more than a little help from my musical mantra of 2025)…
And I’m grateful to have all of you along for the ride as I continue to push forward.
To that end, at the conclusion of each month, I’ll be putting together a summary of everything I covered in the U.S. padel world over the previous 28 - 31 days (plus some select additional content) known as “The Changeover” — of which this is the first edition.
As you’ll see, January 2026 was a big month for U.S. padel on a number of fronts. And February is shaping up to be a exciting one for me, with padel-centric trips to:
Chicago (to finally see/play at Alma Padel and Proximo Padel among others)…
Northern Indiana (with a motley crew of padel friends to see something that could truly revolutionize our industry first-hand 👀), and…
Colorado (to play at clubs both in Denver —including the newest Padel Haus, I’m hoping 🤞 — and my hometown of Colorado Springs).
More on that in the next edition of “The Changeover” — but, first things first, let’s get to the month that was in U.S. padel.
Thanks for reading and play up!
- ae
««« The Midwest Finally Starts to Really Make Its Move »»»
With the exception of clubs like Matrix (NW Arkansas), Padel + Pickle Club (St. Louis), Padel Clube and Alma Padel (Chicago), The Heights Racquet and Social Club (Minneapolis/St. Paul), and ZMash Padel (Detroit), the middle of the country has largely been a padel desert up until now.
But after years of lagging behind California, Texas, Florida, and other sun-belt states, January saw a sudden surge in padel activity in the Midwest — with new clubs opening in Westfield, IN… Chicago (X2)… Cleveland… and soon Cincinnati.
««« South Carolina Is Getting In On the Action, Too »»»
Despite the first padel court in the state opening clear back in December 2022 (which I actually had a hand in helping make happen), the Palmetto State hasn’t seen much more padel infrastructure come online since — until now, that is.
In fact, as we discussed in a recent feature article, the total number of padel courts in South Carolina is set to soar from two to more than two dozen in just a matter of months, with more on the horizon across the state.
««« To Pickle or Not to Pickle, That Is the Question »»»
The great padel versus pickleball debate and the rise of multi-sport facilities have been grabbing lots of headlines lately, so we asked a panel of experts from the worlds of both padel and pickleball: Should U.S. Padel Clubs Have Pickleball Courts (and Vice-Versa)?
Here’s what they said and how readers responded in our poll.
««« Insider Insights on Where U.S. Padel Really Stands »»»
There’s been no shortage of hype about the explosive potential of U.S. padel over the past few years — often from some sources that are questionable, at best.
But now clubs are suddenly going up for sale in the supposedly booming Miami market, operators across the country are struggling with occupancy issues, and even my former padel publication was recently called out for helping to propagate what could more-or-less be seen as U.S. padel “pump-and-dump” schemes.
Which is why we partnered with industry insider, Hans Helmers (of InvestTrek Capital, which is a backer of U.S. padel clubs like Padel Haus, Ballers, Bay Padel, and Padel39), for a series of articles exploring the reality of American padel’s present and future, as he sees it.
(Spoiler alert: He’s generally bullish — but not for the reasons you might think.)
««« When It Comes to U.S. Padel, There’s Miami and… »»»
Well, everywhere else. So, we took a minute to explore what will likely be the “second city” of U.S. padel when all is said and done. See where we landed and how readers voted here.
««« Boston Seaport Becomes U.S. Padel Mini-Mecca »»»
And it’s all thanks to these two clubs.
««« Privé Padel Takes Luxury Padel to New Heights »»»
First in Montauk, then (across) the world. Here’s what you should know.
««« Reserve Padel Hits High Highs — and Low Lows »»»
For the second time in just a handful of months, Reserve Padel founder Wayne Boich appeared on CNBC’s Power Lunch (this time alongside pro baseball legend, Derek Jeter), on the eve of the latest edition of the star-studded, celebrity-soaked Reserve Cup in Miami.
Meanwhile, 1,285 miles north at Reserve’s Hudson Yards location, this happened (thanks to Winter Storm Fern):
In Other News:
The Australian Open made a big bet on the future of padel by investing some of its $40 million venture fund in leading U.S. club operator Padel Haus…
The U.S. Padel Association released their 2025 Annual Report. Here are our top takeaways…
Every padel-addict and their mother lost their minds over Jimmy Fallon choosing padel over pickleball on primetime television — before promptly reposting it all over social media. (Yet nobody took the time to consider the fact that Fallon may have actually been making fun of obnoxious, over-zealous padel fanatics — not to mention, he didn’t even bother to pronounce the sport correctly.)
U.S.-based upstart Padel Magazine announced they were following in the footsteps of Racquet by launching a high-end, aesthetically focused print publication.
The American Collegiate Padel League (ACPL) launched with the goal of
”transforming padel from a sport into a cultural institution” by “building, certifying and connecting university chapters, establishing official competition structures, and creating a unified national ecosystem of ranking, seasons, events, identity and legacy.” (More to come on this soon).Austin-based Padel39 acquired Dallas Padel Club, and has plans to reimagine and grow the club as the brand continues to spread its empire across Texas…
Premier Padel unveiled its 2026 schedule (with one U.S. P1 tournament in Miami in March), as did the Pro Padel League and WPR 2026 Circuit.
… and that’s a wrap! Until next month, at least…
Please be sure to subscribe to Padel Nation to get exciting updates and important insights on the rapidly emerging U.S. padel scene delivered directly to your inbox — or share it with a padel-playing friend.
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