When trying to build any new sport, having professional players and a professional standard to look up to can massively increase interest in the game as well as awareness.

While padel is still very much in its infancy in the US, there are some early signs that there is a place for the professional game. Whether it be an increased expenditure on the Pro Padel League, the leading North American professional padel tour, or professional events being hosted in the country, a platform exists for professional padel to thrive in the United States. So, what is the current state of affairs?

1. Where is professional padel currently in the US?

The biggest professional padel competition in North America is the Pro Padel League which has the majority of its events hosted in the United States. The format of the league includes 10 teams that play across four different events throughout the calendar year. After the regular season, the top 8 teams advance to the finals where a winner will be crowned. Events planned for 2024 will take place in Miami, Los Angeles, and New York.

In recent years, the PPL has increased their spending on both tournaments and players in an effort to increase visibility in North America as well as other regions of the world where padel is more popular. It’s no secret that padel is most popular in countries like Spain and Argentina, and the PPL wants to become the destination for the world’s best players. The PPL has made progress in this area with the inclusion of 20 top-ranked international players in this past year’s draft.

Having just launched in 2023, the PPL has quickly become the biggest tour on the continent and hopes to break through to new markets for a bigger audience in places like South America and Europe. With an investment increase already and no signs of slowing down, the professional padel scene in North America and the United States seems to have a strong platform to grow from with the Pro Padel League.

2. Reasons to be optimistic

Beyond the avid sports culture that exists in the United States, there are also other reasons to be optimistic that the professional padel scene could quickly take off.

First, the World Padel Tour has already visited the United States when Miami hosted an event on the 2022 calendar, setting a potential precedent for events in the near future. With an event like the WPT making its way to the US, it’s not unrealistic to expect that further attempts at getting events in the US will be made. It’s no secret that if the US latches on to a sport, it could explode from there, just look at a sport like pickle.

Further, as discussed in previous blogs, the Ultra Padel facility in Miami which is set to include a whopping 29 courts is going to be hosting PPL events this calendar year. With the intentions from founder Julian Wortelboer clear that Ultra Padel would host professional events, it’s encouraging to see the venue already delivering on that promise.

In addition, events such as the FIP Senior World Championships have already been held on American soil when Las Vegas hosted the prestigious tournament in 2023.

Across these events and combined with the sporting culture in the United States, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the professional padel scene in the US.

3. Is hosting the Hexagon Cup a possibility?

Another intriguing proposition for the professional padel scene in the United States is potentially hosting the Hexagon Cup. The Hexagon Cup was recently introduced as a new alternative to the traditional ranking system present in most racquet sports. The tournament sees six teams compete, made up of three couples each. The pairs are made up of one male, one female, and one future star. Within the latter, the player cannot be over 22 years old and can’t be in the top 50.

The goal of the Hexagon Cup is to achieve a dynamic similar to that of the Laver Cup which has also been recently introduced in tennis. The unique style of this tournament is meant to increase visibility and entertainment value for both existing fans of the sport and new fans who will be introduced to the game after watching.

The Hexagon Cup is a fascinating concept that will no doubt grab the attention of viewers, and it may be the perfect product to try and sell to an American audience. If the US were able to host the Hexagon Cup, it could massively benefit the global game of padel as well as the professional scene.

However, there is the question of whether enough interest in padel currently exists in America to warrant hosting the Hexagon Cup. While it is an exciting prospect, organizers may well favor more established padel locations such as in South America or Europe to host the event. It could be a bit of a risk for the organizers, but hosting the event in the US could have a huge long-term impact on the sport.

4. What does the future hold?

Among the biggest challenges facing the US padel scene as discussed in a previous blog, limited awareness remains one of the biggest. While tours such as the PPL and the prospect of hosting The Hexagon Cup represent the potential for the pro scene in the US, there is still a way to go before there is awareness of the sport in the US for those opportunities to be realized.

In the short term, more investment is needed in a variety of different avenues for padel to truly break through into America. Once that happens, the professional scene can be maximized and the sport can be taken to the next level.

One form of investment that will indirectly increase awareness of padel in the US is Premier Padel’s recent partnership with Red Bull. The Red Bull brand is massive in America, and those who follow the brand will undoubtedly be introduced to the sport through increased coverage of the world’s biggest professional tour.

Summary

The current professional padel scene is still in its early stages, but the Pro Padel League is a great starting point for pro padel in the US. Between increasing investment and additional players, the PPL could be just the start of a flourishing professional scene in America.

Further, new opportunities such as hosting The Hexagon Cup remain legitimate possibilities for the US professional scene to grow quite quickly. However, as discussed previously, the US must tackle its awareness issue first and foremost before the professional scene can take off. This presents an interesting chicken and egg scenario as more awareness is needed to warrant these events, but these events drive awareness themselves.

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