What is Padel and the ‘celebrity fascination’ behind it?
Padel Tennis or just ‘Padel’ is one of the fastest growing sports globally, with well established followings in countries such as Spain and Argentina and an exponential rise in the last couple of years in the UK. The sport’s popularity is being heavily catapulted by the simplicity of the sport in terms of movement and its close proximity of play as compared to Tennis.
The easiness in playing Padel has attracted a slew of high profile celebrities to the sport, from football icons such as Lionel Messi to Hollywood stars such as Eva Longoria, who have further popularized the sport to their wide fanbases via social media. This method of exposure is exactly what the aim of the Pro AM Padel Tour seems to be.
On the 27th of September, the sixth edition of the Pro AM Padel Tour took place at Battersea Power Station. The competition paired up reputed celebrities with professional Padel players in order to help teach them the sport of Padel and in turn promote it to their extensive fanbases. Some famous names that featured in this edition were professional athletes such as Arsenal legend Theo Walcott, former Lionesses star Izzy Christiansen, former Tennis pro Laura Robson, surfer Laura Crane, Team GB Olympians such as Helen Glover, Bethany Shriever and Lutalo Muhammad, and reality TV stars such as Kem Cetinay, Tristan Phipps and Spencer Matthews.
The easiness in understanding and getting into Padel does help make it a very “accessible game”, as stated by actor and comedian, Jack Binstead, who was present at the event. Mr. Binstead stated that he “took it upon himself” as an individual with a disability to help grow the popularity of Padel in the disabled community, almost seeing it as a “job”. He stated that Padel is an area where he “hasn’t struggled” to be “heard” and that many are watching growth of disability Padel and its “integrated” community, as he further hopes to see individuals with other disabilities also get involved in the sport.
This huge exposure has brought Padel into the conversation of potentially being an Olympic sport, which were exactly the thoughts of Olympic rower, Helen Glover and UK’s no.1 women’s Padel pro, Aimee Gibson. Gibson stated that she is hopeful to see Padel potentially getting into the “next” summer Olympics, again coming back to and stating how “fun” and “easy” it is to pick up the Padel and get right into the game.
Oliver Morgan, the founder of the Pro AM Padel Tour, stated that he noticed a celebrity “fascination”, roughly four years ago during his time managing professional Padel players, which inspired him to create this competition in 2023. Now as the sport is rapidly growing, Mr. Morgan believes that the celebrity’s profiles can really help the sport gain more “media attention” and can also be used as a “platform” to promote the next generation of talent in Padel.
This edition featured the ‘next gen exhibition’, which showcased the UK’s top U-18 Padel talents engaging in exhibition games between one another and even with the celebrities. And this exposure ultimately applies to the professionals who the celebrities were paired with, as the event is about “showcasing and promoting them” and “the brand of the sport”.
While a entry into the next Olympics may still be uncertain due to its fresh popularity, the rise of Padel has been truly rapid in the past decade due to the publicity from celebrities and their social accounts, which would be unmatched compared to any other channel. The reach of celebrities is staggering and due to their near ‘deity’ like following from their fans, a relatively obscure sport such as Padel is exactly what would resonate with their followers. And this is exactly what the Pro AM Padel Tour sees as the perfect avenue to grow the sport of Padel and give it its time in the mainstream.
