The Business Of Padel Is Just Getting Started In The Us, Stakeholders Say

As padel gains traction across the United States, a new wave of entrepreneurs is building the clubs, leagues, events and digital platforms that could transform the fast-growing racket sport from a niche hobby into a serious business

As the racket sports industry gathered in South Florida for RacquetX earlier this month, the momentum behind padel in the United States is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Long popular across Spain and Latin America, the sport is now entering a rapid growth phase in the U.S.

Among the entrepreneurs building the infrastructure needed for the sport to scale are Emiliano Abramzon, founder of Racquet360, and Pablo Carro, co-founder and chief commercial officer of Playtomic, who spoke to Athletech News about their strategies for capitalizing on padel’s growth.

Abramzon’s approach with Racquet360 has been to build broadly across the ecosystem rather than focusing on a single piece of the market. The company operates a vertically integrated platform that includes RacquetX, the National Padel League amateur competition series, Racket Social Club facilities and the Racket Central retail and commerce platform.

“For padel to fulfill the potential I believe it has in America, we have to build the structures required for the sport to succeed,” Abramzon told Athletech News. “I didn’t want our team to just be landlords for a club. We had the ambition to build a four-pillared engine to ensure the entire sport can scale and thrive.”

Padel’s growth is being fueled in part by its accessibility. The smaller enclosed courts and doubles format make the game easier for beginners to learn than many traditional racket sports.

The racket sport is commonly described as a mix between tennis and squash, and is widely viewed to require higher levels of skill and athleticism than pickleball.

“Padel sits at the intersection of several trends shaping modern sports participation,” Abramzon said. “It’s easy to learn, highly social and designed for doubles, which means new players can rally quickly and feel successful almost immediately.”

The economics of padel clubs have also begun attracting investor interest. While development requires meaningful upfront capital for construction and permitting, facilities typically generate revenue through memberships, court bookings, lessons and events.

Racquet360 recently closed a $9 million funding round and expects more than 300% revenue growth in 2026 as it expands across its various business lines.

At the same time, technology platforms are helping accelerate player participation.

Playtomic, the racquet sports booking platform co-founded by Carro, has quickly gained traction in the United States and now holds more than half of the U.S. padel booking market just 18 months after launch. The platform allows players to book courts and join open matches with others through matchmaking features designed to help grow player networks.

Playtomic has also partnered with the Rafa Nadal Academy to launch amateur leagues in cities including Miami, Austin and New York. Despite the momentum, the U.S. market remains early. The country currently has roughly 100,000 padel players.

“Honestly, the best is still ahead,” Carro said. “There’s no reason to doubt the potential of padel in the
U.S. We’ve seen this story play out in market after market around the world.”

A recent report published by Syracuse University found that the number of padel courts in the U.S. jumped from fewer than 30 in 2020 to over 600 in 2024, with projections of as many as 30,000 courts by the end of the decade.

“The U.S. has all the ingredients: a strong sports culture, a huge base of tennis and pickleball players, and an appetite for new social experiences,” Carro added.

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