Pickleball has exploded in popularity, becoming the fastest-growing sport in the United States for four years in a row. But beyond the numbers, the sport’s cultural impact runs deep. To wit: In Denver, there’s now a dating app for pickleball players to meet fellow dinkers, and “eatertainment” venues are opening up to cater to the growing community of enthusiasts.
But nipping at the heels of the popular sport is padel, with courts popping up around the state, including the latest: The wildly popular Olympus Padel at Cloud 9 Park in the mixed-use 9+Co development off of Colorado Boulevard near the Congress Park neighborhood.
In a nutshell, padel draws elements from both tennis and squash. Most often played in doubles, it’s faster-paced than pickleball, partly because you can play the ball when it bounces off the enclosed walls.
“Padel is as easy to pick up as pickleball, but as hard to master as tennis,” says Evan Brown, the founder of Aspen Padel Club who introduced the first dedicated outdoor padel court to Denver with the opening of Olympus Padel. “It’s the chess of racquet sports—being able to use the glass walls and the steel cage means points last longer, are more dynamic, and at any given moment you have more choices for what shot to hit next.”
Coloradans have been loving playing padel at Olympus Padel, he says. The court has been booked pretty much non-stop, in large part, he says, because it’s the first public court in the United States with a free window, which is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. Fellow players have also been active on a WhatsApp chat, connecting with one another to get out on the court together.
Along the Front Range, padel is also being played at Racket Social Club in Englewood, Smash Padel in Boulder, and The Parker Racquet Club.
The sport is also poised for growth, with Great Divide Brewing Company submitting permits to construct padel clubs at its location in RiNo at its Barrel Bar, offering a nice alternative to brewery-centric games like cornhole. Padel Haus—an upscale club with padel courts, spa-like locker rooms, a coffee and juice bar, fitness areas and a co-working area—is expanding beyond Nashville and New York City, set to open soon in Denver. And, in the Roaring Fork Valley, Aspen Meadows Resort added a court to its Meadows Racquet Sports Center that’s been quickly booking up. The resort’s certified coaches make it a destination resort for padel players.
The recent momentum in Colorado is part of a larger global trend, with more than 30 million people around the world playing padel, according to the latest figures from the International Padel Federation.
“Padel is enormous globally,” Brown says. “In Europe it is huge, but also in South America, Asia and now Africa as well. Padel is currently exploding in the U.S. and more courts are opening every month.”
A lot of people have come to the court and told stories about how they played growing up or while on vacation or when living abroad but hadn’t found a convenient way to play at home until recently, Brown says.
Padel is a great workout, too, every match is unique and it’s fairly easy on the body—the surface is turf, not concrete or asphalt, so it’s quite accessible, he says. It’s an incredibly social sport as well, he says, with a community oriented culture stemming from Latin America and Europe, where padel clubs are third spaces for communities, which are social spaces outside of home and work.
“That social aspect is one of my favorite parts about the sport and I think a large part of what draws so many people to it, especially now when people are looking for in-person social experiences that are good for them without requiring too much training or equipment,” Brown says.
Part of that community aspect is welcoming newcomers to the sport. As such, Olympus Padel hosts lots of events open to padel players and aspiring ones.
Broadly, 9th + Co (emphasis on the number nine) hosts parties on days ending in 9 (the 9th, 19th, 29th of each month). The padel court, in particular, has a variety of beginner and intermediate clinics; beginner, intermediate and advanced open-plays; tournaments; and leagues; as well as pop-ups and activations.
Smash Padel in Boulder also offers free introductory courses.
“Our goal is to expose as many people as possible to the beauty of the sport and the community it brings, so we’re always looking to partner with local groups and businesses to show people what it’s all about,” Brown says.
Find out more: The best way to keep up with padel events is on Instagram @olympuspadel or at @9codenver to see what’s happening at the park. You can also book the court by going to Denver.playbypoint.com.
