QUICK ANNOUNCEMENT: 🚨 We just moved our primary distribution channel from Substack to Beehiiv. Web-based Substack posts can still be found here.

📰 Here’s what we’ll be covering this week:

Premier Padel and the International Padel Federation (FIP) just unveiled the much-anticipated 2026 Qatar Airways Premier Padel Tour calendar: 26 tournaments across 18 countries, plus a brand-new “Star Point” scoring system designed to speed up matches and boost fan engagement.

Indoor-heavy scheduling and the Star Point System make it clear the Tour is optimizing for players, broadcasters, and casual fans alike. Faster matches, tighter TV windows, and clearer storytelling matter if padel wants true Olympic and broadcast legitimacy… and 2026 feels like a deliberate step in that direction. While most 🇺🇸 clubs and leagues won’t be forced to adopt these changes immediately, elite norms always trickle down long-term through coaches, juniors, exhibitions, and pro-adjacent events.

The newly launched Hexagon World Series is positioning itself as padel’s most spectator-friendly format yet, using teams, celebrities, and mixed-gender competition to accelerate the sport’s Olympic ambitions and complement the global expansion of Premier Padel.

We think the gap between padel’s massive participation growth and must-watch spectator content is still pretty wide. Ideally, layering teams, celebrities, mixed-gender formats, and TV-friendly narratives on top of Premier Padel follows a proven (but delicate) playbook seen in the Laver Cup, IPL cricket, and even LIV Golf. These concepts tend to fail when they try to replace the sport’s core, but succeed when they act as an entertainment wrapper that draws in new audiences. TBD… 🤷‍♂️

NBA star Jimmy Butler is back as honorary chairman for the Reserve Cup, returning to Miami January 22–24, 2026, featuring top global padel talent and a star-studded spectator lineup.

The Reserve Cup should be pivotal, serving as the 🇺🇸 proving ground for global padel trends. With top-tier athletes and a celebrity spotlight, it dovetails perfectly with the 2026 Premier Padel Tour and Hexagon collaboration, giving American fans a taste of the elite international circuit.

Playtomic (personally a huge fan btw - wish more US clubs used it) just raised $6M from 4,600+ community investors, fueling global expansion and digital innovations that tie directly into the growing professional circuit, including events like the above-mentioned Hexagon World Series.

Playtomic’s community-backed growth reflects the broader surge in racket sports, particularly padel, which is expanding globally and Stateside. Players can now go from local club matches tracked on Playtomic straight to points, rankings, and exposure in elite international events. For 🇺🇸, this could be the gateway for both grassroots growth and future tournament alignment, letting Americans plug further into the same ecosystem driving Europe’s padel explosion.

Padel Square, Cleveland’s first padel facility, is set to open in January in Garfield Heights. Born from a back-of-the-napkin idea among four friends desperate for a place to play, the club represents a bold bet on padel’s U.S. expansion to smaller markets.

Ace Padel is set to open its flagship club in Miami’s Coconut Grove in Q2 2026. The venue will feature five outdoor courts (four of which will be under a 32-foot canopy) and will be partnering with Playtomic for court bookings. The brand is also in the process of expanding to Denver and Los Angeles.

Dudley Sports Plaza is coming to The Woodlands, TX. The $8M indoor sports hub is slated to open in phases throughout early 2026. The 75,000 sq ft complex will bundle 18,000 sq ft of padel courts, a pickleball (🙄) eight-court training center, and indoor slides + junior play areas under one roof.

📍 Naousa, 🇬🇷
More info here!

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