The worldwide growth of padel is something very significant in the world of sport. More and more people are starting to play padel and, once they get a racket, they never let go of it again. A healthy vice that is gaining followers at an unimaginable speed.
Padel, whose creation dates back to a relatively short time ago, has been growing by leaps and bounds in the Spanish-speaking world. From its beginnings in Mexico, it has expanded throughout the South American continent (especially in Argentina) and has reached Spain. These are the countries where padel began to lay its foundations and on which today a global sport is being built.
Something that was known as “the little brother of tennis” has been gaining strength over the years. More and more players, but also more clubs, more tournaments and more equipment. It started to gain popularity in central and northern Europe, with countries like Sweden and Denmark. Later, it began to expand to the Middle East and, nowadays, there are padel players in the most inhospitable corners of the planet.
Investment in padel is also very high, with large companies and organisations spending money on exciting projects. Risks that would not be taken if there were no certainty that the sport can continue to grow even more.
However, for this to happen, there have to be courts to play on, as well as rackets and balls. That is where you can see the importance of those companies that help the improvement and expansion of padel through their products. Among them, today we will talk about MejorSet, the number one padel court builder at an international level.
What is MejorSet?
MejorSet is a company in charge of developing, manufacturing and installing padel courts. With its origins in Spain (specifically in Alicante), MejorSet has been doing this job since 2003 and helping the growth of this sport with the installation of courts in more than 35 countries.
Since 2021 they are part of LeDap, a group that is betting a lot on the evolution of padel in different countries and that we already talked about in the article about the ‘She Plays’ initiative.
In addition to specialising in metal structures and glassware, this company also has the advice of professional players. Among them, Hernán Bebe Auguste, former world champion, is CPO (Chief Padel Officer) at LeDap. We have been lucky enough to talk to him and ask him about the growth of padel, as well as important details when it comes to manufacturing courts. Thanks to him we have been able to know very interesting data, such as that the most demanded courts are the Full Panoramic courts, made without edges and that allow a complete visibility.
Padel internationalisation
Padel has reached places that seemed impossible years ago. MejorSet has built more than 15 padel courts in the Maldives Islands. Also in Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Finland, Norway, Germany, Canada and more. A global growth that still knows no limits and that in the future may reach even more countries. The Asian continent, Oceania or even greater expansion in the United States could be some of the challenges for this sport in the coming years.
In this sense, Bebe Auguste has also told us about some of the places where the popularity is growing and how it compares to Spain.
Q: Which are the markets that are growing the most?
A: “At the moment there is an important growth on a global level. The markets that stand out the most are France, Italy, Germany and the UK. We are seeing a lot of interest from the United States, which, although they used to focus on pickleball, now padel is also making a strong entrance. Racquet sports are definitely booming.
Q: What is the proportion of courts installed in Spain compared to those outside our country?
A: Of our projects at the moment, and especially in the last two years, Spain accounts for between 5% and 10% of our sales. The projects we tend to work on in Spain are for medium-high ticket clubs and we are also working on installing courts for private residences.
Private courts: a growing trend
Apart from the increasing number of clubs, there is also a growing trend in padel and it has to do with the creation of private courts. After all, it is a sport that only requires four people, so the implementation of these spaces in residences or hotels is something that more and more people are considering.
On the other hand, it is becoming increasingly common to see padel courts in villas and housing estates. For example, Gianluca Vacchi (celebrity, businessman and DJ) has two (one indoor and one outdoor) in his house of the best quality and installed by MejorSet. Even Manu Martín went to his house and recorded a video with him for his channel.
About this trend, Bebe Auguste tells us that there are many celebrities who have already put padel courts in their homes, such as Messi or Neymar. Moreover, it is also seeing an increase in demand from hotels and resorts, as both families and couples see this sport as an ideal way to spend time together.
In fact, the Maldives courts mentioned above is integrated in a private resort for those travellers who do not want to give up paddle tennis during their holidays.
The importance of professional padel
Professional padel also plays an important role in this growth, as they are the ones who take the game to another level.
To develop their best version, professionals need the best quality in everything that surrounds them. In this sense, MejorSet helps to make the atmosphere in the tournaments the best thanks to its top quality courts. Bebe Auguste has also talked to us about this:
Q: What are the characteristics of a quality padel court?
A: When I enter a court, the first thing I look at to see if it is a good quality court is the overall quality. Something that personally repels me in a court is that it doesn’t hit well because of the bad installation of the turf. Or if the bounce on the glass is not perfect. These are things that you notice when you have been playing for many years. And well, the fact that it is a court with an old design and that it has too much iron is not usually something that appeals to me either.
Now also, looking at it from the perspective of a client – since I deal with many to advise on projects – and not just a player, I would say that a quality court also means that it lasts over time in perfect condition, so it is important not only the construction and installation but also the service given. Because in the end, a very good court that is not well maintained will deteriorate very quickly. The after-sales service has a huge impact on the quality of a court, and of a company.
Also, quality courts are those that are prepared for all kinds of weather conditions. At MejorSet we work with materials and installation in highly complex projects, as for example in the Maldives. These are projects where the installation is very important and that the materials are excellent to be kept in perfect conditions because the saltpeter and humidity of these areas are very corrosive.
Q: In what kind of events can we find works made by MejorSet?
A: “Always in the best tournaments in the world. We are currently the Official court of the International Padel Federation, and to highlight these last years, we have installed the courts of the FIP World Championships in Qatar and Dubai, the Premier of Doha, Madrid, Rome, Paris, Mendoza and Milan, the WPT of Vienna, Stockholm, Brussels, Malmo, the FIP Cupra Finals and several events of great importance that we will do in the next months. Thanks to these possibilities, the different competitions are betting on bringing this spectacle to as many countries as possible, providing the opportunity to see the best padel in some of the most spectacular places on the planet”.
For this very reason, the players, who were once famous among fans of the sport in just a few countries, are now recognised almost worldwide. Some have hundreds of thousands of fans on social networks and even the World Padel Tour circuit has reached one million followers on Instagram.
This is evidence that padel is gaining popularity by leaps and bounds all over the world, which means that more and more people are able to make a living from it. The best of all is that this growth has no ceiling and that the great beneficiaries of this are the fans of this sport themselves.
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