Padel is becoming very fashionable. For a sport that started over 50 years ago, it really is starting to gain huge momentum around the world, South Africa being no different. The sport continues to conquer countries and attract celebrities. With over 20 million players worldwide, there are many celebrities that are loving the game as much as we do and have taken to the Padel courts in their spare time.
We know it is a sport that attracts the stars, but especially these Football and Tennis stars.
1. Lionel Messi
Being based in Barcelona, it was inevitable that one of the greatest Footballers of all time took up the sport of Padel in a country, where the game is the second biggest sport behind Football. Lionel has built his own Padel court at home and enjoys playing the game with his friends and family.
2. David Beckham
David has only recently been introduced to Padel in Miami, where he owns the Inter Miami Football Club. If you follow him on social media, you would have seen his post playing Padel and he seems to have a fairly decent volley, good job David!
3. Neymar
The PSG and Brazilian superstar, Neymar has installed not one, but two Padel courts at his home and enjoyed playing the game at home, during Lockdown.
4. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan loves the game so much, that he has opened his own Padel Arenas in Sweden, called Padel Zenter. They currently have 5 arenas and we are sure that there will be more to follow.
5. Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine seems to be as hooked on the game as Zlatan. He recently launched his Z5 Padel brand in France and has opened up his first arena in Aix-en-Provence. It looks beautiful, we wouldn’t mind playing there.
6. Maria Sharapova
The former World Number 1 Ladies Tennis player, Maria Sharapova has announced her retirement from tennis, but since doing so, she has taken up the game of Padel and seems to be loving it. Maybe we will see her on the WPT soon?
7. Jurgen Klopp
The likeable Liverpool FC manager has openly revealed his love for the sport. The German trainer plays with his coaching staff at the courts on their training ground, to use the sport as a nice distraction from daily routine. Even though it's meant to be relaxing, they have revealed that some of their great Football tactics for the successful Liverpool team have been born on the Padel court between sets.
8. Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal is one of the greatest tennis players ever with a staggering 20 grand slam titles to his name. With Padel being such a major sport in Spain, the man himself is a regular on the Padel court. In 2016 he even opened the Rafael Nadal Academy in Manacor, Spain. The academy includes numerous tennis courts and 7 indoor Padel courts. You can even book a Padel camp which includes a 3 to 4 day stay, with Padel lessons and complementary wellness facilities included. Who’s joining us?
9. Martina Hingis
Another former Number 1 Ladies Tennis player is on our list and a fan of Padel for obvious reasons. Even though her Instagram is still very much filled with tennis duties, it's great to see such an iconic tennis player showing some love for Padel.
10. Arjen Robben
One of the best Dutch Football players has made his way back to his home country after a very successful international career with top teams such as Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. He has revealed that he wants to make Padel big in The Netherlands and he has been seen frequently on Padel courts. Thanks for that Arjen, we love the effort as much as we love you dribbling passed players.
Here are some more familiar names that have been seen with a Padel racket in their hands.
- Charles Leclerc
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- John Terry
- Novak Djokovic
- Mohamed Salah
- Luis Suarez
- Francesco Totti
- Serena Williams
The list really could go on and on and we hope that more sporting heroes and celebrities will get introduced to the game and promote the sport even more.