Padel is the fastest growing sport you may not have heard of

The sport has been booming for some time across parts of Europe and South America but it’s only just gaining ground in the UK. Rory Sullivan decides to try it for himself

Padel has attracted backing and investment from professional athletes including Andy Murray (Getty/Game4Padel)

Squash started first, tennis followed closely on its heels and then, almost a century of rallying later, along came padel.

Invented by a businessman in Acapulco, Mexico, in the 1960s as a fusion of the two older racket sports, the new game spread rapidly through Spain and Argentina after facilities were constructed by returning enthusiasts. Decades on, it has found fertile ground in other parts of Europe and in the Middle East. And now, padel fervour seems to have belatedly jumped across to these shores, with approximately 200 courts already in use in the UK and with dozens more on the way.

Although data on such things is scarce, padel is likely to be one of the world’s fastest-growing sports. Padel courts, which are enclosed within glass walls and fence panels, are already a common sight in countries such as Portugal, Italy and Sweden, while Dubai has grand plans to install hundreds in the coming months. Money is also fast pouring into the top level of the game: Qatar Sports Investments, which owns Paris Saint-Germain, has invested heavily in the International Padel Federation (FIP), whose professional circuit is at loggerheads with the Estrella Damm-sponsored World Padel Tour. The two are currently bogged down in a legal dispute which will determine the future of this potentially lucrative game.