With the likes of Jürgen Klopp and Serena Williams picking up the racket in recent years, padel’s profile has grown rapidly all over the world. The sport, similar to tennis but played with stringless rackets and a walled court, is seen by many as a refreshing alternative: in 2023, two thirds of players in Spain identified fun as one of the
. While still being relatively small in comparison to other sports, the
amounted to around two billion euros in 2022, with padel clubs accounting for the largest share of this total. Meanwhile, increased attendance figures can also attest to the sport’s growth, with the
hitting new heights in 2023. With all this in mind, can padel stay on course to become a key player in the world of sport, or is it just a one-serve wonder?
Where is padel popular?
Having originated in Mexico, padel is particularly popular in many Spanish-speaking countries across the world. The
country with the most padel players is Spain, with an estimated 5.5 million participants as of early 2024. However, this is not to say that padel does not have a fully international following - in 2023, the
number of national padel federations worldwide amounted to 71. The sport is also well followed online, with the first season of Premier Padel amassing a total of 22 million views on YouTube.
Who are the best padel players in the world?
As of June 2024, the
highest-ranked male padel player was Arturo Coello, with the Spaniard’s sporting partner Agustín Tapia ranking in second place. Meanwhile, Ariana Sánchez and Paula Josemaría jointly occupied top spot in the
women’s padel rankings. At this level, many players have sizeable followings on social media, and the
padel players with the most Instagram followers have online audiences stretching into the hundreds of thousands. The International Padel Federation (FIP) also had a sizeable online presence, with
FIP’s total following amounting to over 315 thousand across all platforms.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no
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Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date
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