Leclerc, Butler, Rafter and... Sports stars who love padel

The sport that appeals to sports phenomena. Padel fever is a daily topic, and it has been for some time now, with no sign of cooling down. It’s not just ex-footballers and celebrities who are hooked, but also current champions from various disciplines. "We agreed that we’ll soon go play padel. Even though it won’t be a great day for me": in an interview with 'La Stampa', Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc - who has been driving for Ferrari since 2019 - did not hide his impatience for an upcoming match with Jannik Sinner, the world’s number 1 tennis player who triumphed at the Australian Open in January and had his padel debut at the Foro Italico, playing with Francesco Totti against Bruno and Graziotti.

Leclerc is just one of the drivers who love playing padel, a sport also enjoyed by Carlos Sainz Junior, Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, and Nicolas Hülkenberg. It’s common to see them playing during transfers from one circuit to another. Returning to Sinner, the connection between tennis and padel is almost natural: Novak Djokovic has been playing since 2016, and Rafael Nadal also enjoys engaging with padel. Not to mention that Rafa has built 13 courts - 6 of which are indoor - at his Academy in Mallorca. Even His Majesty Roger Federer, after trying it at the suggestion of Ivan Ljubicic, can be seen on the courts. Among former tennis players, Pat Rafter - both as a player and as an ambassador and founder of Padel Australia - David Nalbandian, Potito Starace, Riccardo Sinicropi, and Roberta Vinci are leading figures with the paddle.

Padel is much more than a passion for Jimmy Butler, the NBA star who plays with the Miami Heat and has previously donned the jerseys of the Chicago Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Philadelphia 76ers. "I think it’s really cool, it’s new and growing rapidly," said the champion, "Being tall and moving like a basketball player is very useful in this particular racquet sport. That’s what attracts me the most." In basketball, but among former players, Tony Parker has never hidden his passion for padel, even at an organizational level. In this adventure, the French basketball player with a past in the San Antonio Spurs has involved another sports champion, the French judoka Teddy Riner, who has three gold and two bronze medals in the Olympic Games.

Guess what the first item Romain Ntamack, a rugby player for Toulouse and the French national team, would never part with? "My padel racket," said the 2022 Six Nations Tournament winner with France, "It’s a bit different from my sport, but it offers you other perspectives and sensations. I love padel, it’s very fun." The link between golf and padel? It bears the illustrious name, also at the entrepreneurial level, of Tiger Woods, perhaps the best golfer of all time: in Miami - together with another celebrity, Justin Timberlake - he has invested in a mega real estate project that will provide residents with ten padel courts.