Buenas, fellow padel addicts!
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Padel’s U.S. footprint just got louder. Chicago picked up a sleek new indoor hub, Florida added even more courts, and global brands are officially done “testing the waters.”
Oh, and world No. 1 Arturo Coello just partnered with On. We break down why this matters more than it looks.
In This Issue:
— How to actually improve when you’re stuck training solo
— On’s big padel bet
— Pro Padel League’s 2026 calendar is scary strategic
— A court you’ve never seen, in a place you wouldn’t expect
…and plenty more. Seguimos!
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🇺🇸 CLUB OPENINGS
Midwest Scores Big, Florida Gets Even Bigger
🏙️ Windy City Wonder
Union Padel Club officially opened on Chicago’s Near West Side, bringing five indoor padel courts to a 30K sq ft space. The club features a bar, restaurant, coworking lounge, saunas, and cold plunges.
🌴 Two More for Florida’s West Coast
Pickleball-focused (🙄) St. Pete Athletic just opened. The 50K sq ft club features two padel courts, a restaurant, three bars, and a full suite of fitness and wellness amenities.
UP YOUR GAME
Solo Drilling the Right Way
If you’ve ever shown up to the club early, stared at an empty court, and thought, “Alright cool, I’ll scroll through Insta until the others arrive,” this one’s for you.
Turns out, solo training is one of the fastest ways to level up if you do it right.
Start simple by warming up your forehands and backhands from mid-court. Find rhythm. Dial in footwork. Hit 10 clean reps per side.
Then head to the corner. The corner wall drill forces you to stay light on your feet and control awkward rebounds.
Volleys next. Stand close to the wall. Five forehand volleys. Five backhand volleys. Then half-volleys. Quick hands, quiet feet.
If you’re feeling brave, smash the ball into the back glass and work on groundstrokes off the rebound. Make contact out in front. If you’re late, the wall will humble you fast.
Practice flat and topspin overhead smashes using the back glass. Non-hitting arm up. Eyes locked on the ball.
And indeed… serve practice counts. Spend time aiming at targets. Build confidence hitting different spots.
💡 Every rep is a vote for consistency. Stay present. Stay boring. Flow comes from process, not from ripping one lucky winner.
INTERNATIONAL HAPPENINGS
Arturo Coello Is On One (🇨🇭)
As the great Canadian hip-hop legend Drake said, Arturo Coello is “on one.” Swiss performance sportswear company On just signed the world No. 1 padel player as its first-ever padel athlete, signaling a serious push into padel-specific footwear and racket sports more broadly.
The Details
This isn’t a logo-on-a-shirt deal. Coello will work hands-on with On’s product team, feeding technical input directly into padel shoe design
On plans to launch its first padel-specific footwear line in summer 2027, co-developed with Coello and engineered specifically for padel court movement
Coello, already a legend at 21, is best known for his partnership with Agustín Tapia, including a 47-match win streak and 37+ major titles across tours
Timing matters → On is on a heater financially, with Q3 FY25 net income nearly tripling and sales up ~25% YoY
Our take: This is another signal that padel has officially graduated from “niche” to “inevitable.” Also, padel footwear has lagged tennis for years. That gap is about to close fast.
PRO PADEL ROUNDUP
Pro Padel League Drops Its 2026 Calendar (🇺🇸)
The Pro Padel League just unveiled its 2026 calendar, locking in five marquee events across 🇺🇸 + 🇲🇽, with a first-ever stop in LA and season-ending Finals in Miami.
The Details:
Five total events for 2026, signaling a more concentrated, higher-stakes season rather than overexpansion
The season kicks off in NYC (July 9-12), continuing its role as one of the league’s anchor markets
LA debuts as an official PPL host (August 13-16), marking the league’s long-anticipated West Coast arrival
Mexico hosts a doubleheader in Playa del Carmen (Sept 24-27) and Guadalajara (Nov 19-22)
The grand finale in Miami hosts the City’s Cup Finals (Dec 3-6)
Our take: This schedule feels intentional, and that’s a good thing. Rather than chasing raw footprint expansion, the PPL is doubling down on proven markets while adding LA as a strategic unlock, especially for sponsors, media, and lifestyle-driven growth.
Quick Hits:
👭 Women make up ~38% of global padel players. Empower Padel is partnering with operators to expand that community (🇬🇧)
Padel School founder Sandy Farquharson says you should allow yourself this number of unforced errors per match.
Here’s how AI is making its way into padel
Cool Court of the Week:
📍 Savanna woodlands, 🇳🇦
More info here!
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See you next week & keep smashing those volleys 🎾