The third time I ever set foot on a padel court was several years back in Chicago at Padel Clube, which was one of the earliest dedicated padel facilities in the U.S.
This was also the second time I ever took a lesson, and the first time I really began to understand just how insanely addictive actually padel is.
In fact, on that particular racquet roadtrip, a group of about eight of us had initially planned to hit with the padel pro, Denis, for an hour and then play for another hour afterwards before heading out to play squash down the road at the Onwentsia Club.
Let’s just say those two hours went by awfully quickly, and over a post-padel round of Estrella Damms someone threw out the idea of perhaps playing a little bit more.
Another two hours and several sets later we were having another round of beers and debating whether we should just skip squash and keeping playing more padel.
I’m sure you can guess what we landed on…
Oh, and we also came back the next day with even more people to play for yet a few more hours.
So Close — Yet So Far
To be clear, I loved the time we spent there. I also learned one of the most valuable padel lessons ever from Coach Denis, who kept telling us, “don’t make it good — just make it in.”
But, honestly, it’s probably a shorter drive from Padel Clube to Wisconsin than it is the Windy City.
So, a few months later, I was pleasantly surprised to be contacted by not just one but two young entrepreneurs who were working on opening padel clubs much closer to the city itself, namely Abigail McCulloch (of Alma Padel) and Alex Vainberg (of Proximo Padel).
While the two were (and still are) ostensibly competitors, they reached out to me together in hopes of planting their respective flags and helping to build awareness of the sport in the area, which I tried my best to help them do with this article.
In it they both predicted that the greater Chicago area could have 60 - 70 courts by 2026, if not more. Yet, here we are and there aren’t even 30 publicly accessible courts in Chicagoland yet.
So, Is the Glass Half Empty… or Completely Full?
To be honest, when I touched down at O’Hare last week for an impromptu racquet roadtrip to visit Alma and Proximo, I had forgotten all about their 2026 court forecasts for the area. So, I didn’t think twice about how far “behind” the Chicagoland padel scene seemingly is (on paper anyway).
And what I saw 45 or so minutes later when I set foot in Alma Padel on a frigid, grey February afternoon not only blew my mind, but also convinced me that — despite the (relatively) low court count — Chicago is most definitely starting to have a padel moment.
That’s because, whereas you hear about many padel clubs around the U.S. struggling to even get to 40% occupancy and being absolutely dead during the middle of the day, Alma’s five indoor courts were packed at 1:30 p.m. on a Tuesday (as you can see in the video above).
I was so shocked that I even (half) jokingly asked Abigail if she’d hired actors to fill the courts for our visit. She just smiled knowingly, and within a few minutes I began to understand why.
You see, what Abigail has built at Alma isn’t just a padel club or some racquet sports version of Dave & Busters. Instead, she’s built a truly experiential universe unto itself that instantly transports you somewhere else the instant you step through the door.
In this sense, visiting Alma reminded me an awful lot of the first time I went to the original Meow Wolf in Santa Fe over a decade ago and within minutes of stepping inside found myself both asking, “What is this place???” and also wanting to never leave.
The Uchi of Padel
It also instantly reminded me of another of my favorite experiences in the world. Namely, eating at the original Uchi in Austin, TX (which, believe it or not, is the best sushi I’ve had anywhere in the world outside Japan).
Much like with Uchi, the magic of Alma is that Abigail has obviously thought through every last detail of the experience down to the stunning yet subtle framed vintage-looking photographs of classic Marbella padel clubs that line the entryway, which she herself (of course!) took. On an iPhone no less.
The Alma-logoed backgammon board, mahjong set, and ping-pong paddles look like props from a Wes Anderson film. The pro shop, bar, and lounge area strike me as something I’d easily expect to stumble across in a back alley of the Marais or Canal Saint-Martin in Paris, but never in suburban Illinois.
Meanwhile, every aspect of the place has a cool industrial chic vibe, yet somehow also manages to ooze familiar, familial warmth. Even the locker rooms and bathrooms are immaculately curated little works of art.
So, it doesn’t surprise me when Chris Klein, a Chicago resident and key member of the International Association of Pickeball and Padel Facilities (IAPPF) tells me that he and his wife often just come hang out at Alma and have drinks with padel-playing friends whether they themselves are playing there or not.
And again, just like with Uchi, despite every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears that have obviously gone into building this ultra-inviting and addictive alternate universe, it all appears 100% effortless.
(It’s also little wonder Abigail was recently named to Forbes’ “30 Under 30” for Sports, alongside Grand Slam tennis champions, Super Bowl winners, and future NFL Hall of Famers).
Leading Takes a Leader
There’s an awful lot of talk these days about where U.S. padel is really headed and what it needs to ultimately thrive in the States the way pickleball has.
The most common refrains are: more players, more clubs and courts, more awareness, more access and affordability, more investment, more infrastructure, and more multi-sport facilities. And while I don’t disagree with any of those, after visiting Alma last week, I’d also add this to the list: more true visionaries.
Because, at the end of the day, anyone can throw cash at a padel club or put up courts in a warehouse in the suburbs. But not everyone can build something truly special within those walls that keeps people flocking back day after day.
Abigail has obviously done this. In fact, in our short time there I see her greet at least a dozen people by their first name, and then casually remind them of when they are scheduled to play next as they walk out the door — all without ever having to glance at a computer or her phone.
Witnessing this makes me think of that old quote, “Talent hits a target no one else can hit. Genius hits a target no one else can see.”
She even introduces us to an 85-year-young member who plays some combo of “the three Ps” (padel, pickleball, and platform tennis) almost daily. When he says this she playfully asks him what his favorite P is?
Without hesitation he says, “padel, of course!” with an ear-to-ear grin on his face — and it’s clear he isn’t just saying it for her benefit. It’s also clear that while he no doubt loves the sport, what he (and everyone else who is there playing mid-afternoon on a Tuesday) really loves is the Alma experience.
Which, along with the fact that more and more publicly accessible facilities like Club Pickle & Padel, Union Padel Club, and Proximo Padel are opening all the time, is why I say that Chicago is most definitely starting to have a padel moment.
And between the likes of Abigail and Alex Vainberg (who I’ll profile in Part 2 of this series), I think it’s safe to say this moment — and movement — is going to grow well into the future.
Please be sure to keep an eye out for this in-depth follow-up. In the meantime, please also 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 feel free share it with a padel-playing friend.
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