When Stormzy co-signs a new sport , you sit up and take notice. The rapper has just announced he’s become an investor in Padel Social Club , one of the UK’s leading players in a game that’s rocketing in popularity. “Padel isn’t just another sport,” he says.
“It’s got something that draws everyone in, whether you’re new to the game or already hooked, as I am.” What is padel? It’s a tennis -like racquet sport that was invented in Mexico in 1969, and has been around for decades in Spain, where it’s the second most popular sport after football . It’s always played in doubles, and on a court about half the size of a tennis one.
It requires less power and, as with squash, an awareness of the surrounding walls, some of which can be used to play points off. In the last few years, padel has become a runaway success. As well as Stormzy, the likes of Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal , Lionel Messi , the Prince and Princess of Wales, Shakira and David Beckham are hooked – as are the rest of us.
Tom Murray ran an independent UK padel body before it was folded into the Lawn Tennis Association in 2019, at which point there were about 50 courts and 6,000 active players in the country. By the end of last year, there were 350 courts and “just shy of 100,000” players, he says. Halfway through 2024, it’s 500 courts and 150,000 players.
I’m one of them. I’ve come to a beginners’ social session at Padel Social Club’s five courts in Earl’s Court, west London, to.
