Kathryn MaddenJul 11, 2026 – 5.00amWhat do Amanpuri, Airelles Saint-Tropez and Estelle Manor have in common? An intoxicating sense of place and escape. Service that anticipates your every need. Caviar around the clock. And the recent addition of padel courts.Easy to learn, social by design and typically wrapped up in 90 minutes, padel (pronounced “paddle”) is the fastest-growing racquet sport in the world. Born from a fusion of tennis and squash, it’s played in doubles on an enclosed 10m x 20m court. In 2016 there were 10,000 padel courts around the world. Today there are some 70,000 in more than a hundred countries, drawing an estimated 30 million players. David Beckham, Lionel Messi, Leonardo DiCaprio and Serena Williams all play. Prada, Pucci and Chanel sell racquets – or, rather, palas. Rolex and Audemars Piguet sponsor tournaments, and F1 drivers favour the sport in their downtime.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Fetching latest articles