Majorca, passion for padel

It’s a trend that is sweeping the Spanish peninsular and Majorca in particular. In just a few years, padel has become an institution, almost a religion for some who swear by the sport. It was created by a Mexican but quickly exported to Spain where it has been popular since the 2000s.

Today, padel is a heavyweight, despite its very recent appearance. Alvaro Bernabeau, the man in charge of developing the main circuit, the World Padel Tour (WPT), stated that padel is now the second most popular sport in Spain, where it has gained so much momentum that it has now overtaken tennis.

With 14% of players in this country, padel is catching up to football and the number of registered members hasn’t stopped increasing (+28% in 2021). Although it is very popular in Spain, it has also known a global growth: with 20 million players worldwide, it’s the fastest-growing international sport. Other figures also confirm this, such as the WPT’s 3 million followers, or the 24 international tournaments in 14 countries held in 2022.

Broadcasters have also recognised padel’s media potential with no less than 130 channels worldwide broadcasting the main tournaments, and 100 million likely viewers! All these figures are constantly increasing and don’t seem to be slowing down.

The reasons why this sport is so popular are simple: padel, which is a combination of classic racket sports such as tennis, squash, table tennis and even Basque pelota, is extremely fun but also technical and physically demanding, making it a well-rounded sport. The simplicity and friendliness of the rules (it can only be played in pairs) are also key reasons.

Aware of people’s love for padel, Spain has built numerous infrastructures to help this activity grow and expand. Although many countries, the majority of which are Latin as well as France, Mexico, Italy and Argentina have also surfed on the padel wave, none have done as well as Majorca.

Majorca is known worldwide for its easy way of living and tourist attractions. For many years, it has been the centre of the world sporting map for being home to one of the biggest names in tennis, Rafael Nadal.

The relationship between tennis and padel is very natural and so it was only logical that the Balearic islands decided to develop this activity on their main island. A real sport incubator, Majorca is the new Mecca and has given itself the task of winning over all of Spain. And this seems to be reasonable as there were 35,000 spectators at the Madrid Open last September!

In February, padel returns home to Majorca for a tournament that promises to be great due to the quality of the field, where 150 professionals and 100 qualifiers will battle it out, and also the prestige of the venue, as this tournament will mostly held in the "Rafael Nadal Academy." This huge infrastructure dedicated to tennis also has many padel courts, ready to welcome the world’s best and give yet another boost to the passion for this ever-growing sport!

With padel becoming so popular in Majorca there are many fantastic facilities to choose from and you are sure to find one to suit your budget and location. Arguably one of the most well-known facilities is the Rafa Nadal Academy, which boasts 7 fully equipped outdoor courts and 6 indoor courts. They also offer week-long training camps for adults that cover everything from technique to fitness.

Pins Padel is located just 5 minutes from the heart of Palma, in Sa Teulera, making it a convenient location but also allowing you to play surrounded by nature. Although Majorca weather is typically very accommodating for outdoor sports, Pins Padel have 9 covered courts (16 in total) meaning that you can practice even on greyer days.

Palma Padel in Son Rapinya, located just off of the highway outside of Palma, making it easily accessible, is another club offering 16 courts (4 of which are covered). Here you can rent equipment or purchase your own from their on-site shop. If you’re looking for a family-friendly club then consider UDYR, located north of Palma, which offers a total of 10 courts (6 outdoor and 4 indoor). UDYR is a padel club with a community feel as you can arrange lessons for children and attend club barbecues on the weekends.

If you don’t feel quite ready to dive into the world of padel on your own consider a visit to Mallorca Country Club where you can attend private or group lessons. With the padel craze still going strong on the island, knowing how to play can be a great way to meet new people, stay fit and catch up with friends.

Padel is a great sport to play casually with friends and family, but with its increasing popularity there are more and more opportunities to compete in local tournaments and improve your skills. If you’d like to take part in a local tournament, asking your club if they are participating in either a club-only or interclub tournaments is a good place to start.

If you’d like to participate outside of a club then there are numerous local tournaments currently available to sign up for. Palma Padel host numerous open tournaments in the summer, which you can find and sign up for on their website. Similarly, Pins Padel host a whole range of tournaments, including for children. They have both single-sex and mixed doubles tournaments such as the Il Tano tournament taking place from 2-5 February. It costs €20 to sign up and gives you the chance to win prizes.

If you don’t know where to look then head over to Sportelia, the online padel tournament directory. Here you can see all the past, present and future padel tournaments being held in Majorca. You can also easily find the entrance fee prices, categories and any additional information you may need.

Whether you’re looking to get started or to work on your skills, private padel lessons are a good way to get to grips with the technical side of padel. There is no shortage of clubs and individuals offering private lessons in Majorca, but it all depends on your availability and budget. For example, Mallorca Country Club offers a wide variety of private lessons at their Padel Lab, a teaching laboratory specially designed for padel. Here you can book private lessons for up to four people and your instructor will tailor the lesson plans to your needs. The prices differ depending on whether or not you are a member, ranging from €55-€70 per session for members and €65-€80 per session for non-members. They also have a junior academy for children that runs all throughout the year, with a maximum of four children per class. Prices start at €65 per week for members and €75 per week for non-members.

Club Tennis Sóller is another club offering private padel lessons. Working one-on-one with your private teacher, the club’s private lessons are designed to help you adapt your training to suit your needs. You can choose to focus on one element or technique or have a more complete training session. For more information about their private lessons you will need to contact them over the phone.