The Changeover: Your April 2026 U.S. Padel Recap
Here's (almost) everything you need to know...
Dear Padel Nation,
I used to start these monthly recaps with “Dear Padel Nation readers,” but after four months of getting to know many of you (who, somewhat to my surprise, are actually spread all over the world), it’s becoming clear that Padel Nation isn’t just a newsletter…
Instead, it’s a community of like-minded individuals whose lives have been forever changed in one way or another by padel and want to help grow the sport here in the U.S. anyway they can as a result.
(Take Scott Matulis for example. He discovered the sport at P1 Padel in Vegas in 2024… instantly fell head-over-heels in love, both with the game and the unique community around it… stumbled across my padel scribblings a few years later… and now is a regular guest author for our site.)
It may sound sappy, but in a time and place where so many people have so many reasons to be divided, it’s great to see an ever-growing group of incredibly diverse individuals finding something that not only unites them, but also inspires and uplifts them.
I saw this first-hand last month at the grand opening of 40Forty Padel Club in Mauldin, SC — a club that after years of blood, sweat, and tears from founder Daniel Fitzgerald (a former U.S. Army Ranger who discovered padel in Ecuador while visiting his now fiancé) is finally open and attracting curious new players from all walks of life.
Meanwhile, just this past month…
New clubs and courts opened everywhere from Mesa, AZ (at Mesa Padel Club) to Portland, OR (at Foundry Padel)… to St. Petersburg, FL (at St. Pete Athletic)…
We got word that another project known as The Foundry Padel will be bringing the sport to Virginia Beach, VA, next year…
A heavy-hitting group of padel brands including Padel Up, Playbypoint, and SIUX teamed up to bring padel to Coachella and its 250,000+ festival goers in the California desert…
The National Padel League (NPL) announced it would expand to 40+ cities for its 2026 season… juniors from across the Americas descended on PadelX to compete in the FIP Promises Miami 2026… the U.S. National Team competed admirably at the America Padel Cup in Quito, Ecuador…
The CEO of the Pro Padel League (PPL) penned a thoughtful letter about how and why padel must be built differently in the U.S., and the PPL expanded its reach to locations including Palm Beach, FL, and Washington D.C…
80 collegiate padel players representing colleges and universities across the U.S. came together in Austin, TX, for the first-ever National Collegiate Padel Championships — and the American Collegiate Padel League continued signing up leading collegiate teams and host clubs…
Rumors surfaced that a number of outdoor public padel courts may soon be opening at East Potomac Park in Washington D.C….
… and that’s just to name a few of the bigger developments that happened in the world of U.S. padel in April.
Point being, the sport is definitely growing (though not as fast as some had hoped — or hyped) and evolving (sometimes in ways nobody quite predicted) — and in our own small ways, we’re all a part of it.
So, starting with this month’s edition of The Changeover, I will now be addressing all of us simply as, “Dear Padel Nation.”
With that in mind, directly below are a few other notable stories that unfolded last month around the world of U.S. padel that you might be interested in.
Thanks for reading — and play up!
ae
««« Utah Set to Experience Padel Avalanche »»»
While the greater Salt Lake City area admittedly might not be the first place that comes to mind when you think about when it comes to emerging U.S. padel meccas, that may all be about to change, thanks to at least four new clubs opening in the region over the next few months (plus the Utah padel O.G.s at SLC Padel Club — which recently added a fourth court to their facility). Here’s what you need to know.
««« Privé Padel Brings U.S. 1,000th Court »»»
Last month, there was much excitement about the fact that the U.S. now has over 1,000 padel courts. This was thanks in large part to Privé Padel (who also just launched their Privé Passport program today), which opened a one-court pop-up at the THesis Hotel Miami in Coral Gables, FL. You can get a behind-the-scenes look at all the VIP festivities here.
««« The Quiet Rise of Padel at Country Clubs »»»
Although you don’t hear all that much about it, a big part of the reason that the U.S. just blew past the 1,000 court mark is all of the various private, country, and city clubs around the U.S. that are adding padel courts.
What will this ultimately mean for the growth of the sport in the U.S. — and will it put pressure on all of the pay-to-play clubs popping up across the country? You can get my take here.
««« Yes, U.S. Padel Clubs Are Now Closing, Too »»»
Within minutes of me publishing an article last month entitled, “Are U.S. Padel Clubs About to Start Closing as Fast as They’re Opening?,” I had people frantically calling, texting, and e-mailing me non-stop.
Some wanted to know if I thought they were mistaking a mistake by opening a club. Others wanted a list of clubs for sale. Still others asked for my help in selling their current club.
To be honest, I’m not sure how much help I can offer on any of these fronts, but as I mentioned in this article, I do know of at least five padel clubs around the U.S. that have recently closed and I have some thoughts on what others will have to do to survive.
(Oh, and we also just learned that Padel& in Brooklyn will also be closing the doors to its four-court, indoor facility less than a year after oppenng due to lease issues stemming from a major neighborhood redevelopment).
««« What U.S. Padel Can Learn From Squash »»»
I’d argue that nobody in the world is more in tune with the history of squash — or more keenly aware of both the sport’s triumphs and its shortcomings — than James Zug.
His writings about padel’s sister sport have been published by everyone from Squash Magazine and Racquet Magazine to Vanity Fair, The New York Times, and The Atlantic — and in a guest article for Padel Nation this month, he weighed on what U.S. padel could learn from squash.
««« Is This Teenager the Future of U.S. Padel? »»»
Guest author Scott Matulis, whom I mentioned earlier, spent an entire weekend at the Playbypoint Las Vegas Open at P1 Padel (which was the first USPA 2000 Major of the year) to learn more about why an Argentine teenager may well be “the future of U.S. padel.” Here’s what he discovered.
… and that’s a wrap — until next month, at least!
Enjoy this monthly U.S. padel recap? If so, please be sure to subscribe to Padel Nation to get exciting updates and important insights on the rapidly emerging U.S. padel scene like this one delivered directly to your inbox 2X weekly — or share it with a padel-playing friend.
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Oh, and one other thing… I’ve actually got a full-blown padel book coming out in July. So, if you enjoy the work I’m doing in the U.S. padel space, you can support me by pre-ordering a copy (or two!) online at Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Many thanks in advance!