This story appears in The Hollywood Reporter/Sportico’s September 2026 Sports issue. Click here to read more.
Eva Longoria was introduced to padel 15 years ago by her future husband, media executive José Bastón. “At his house, he had this weird little tennis court,” the actress says. It took her another 10 years to pick up a racket, but she is now “obsessed” with the sport that combines elements of tennis and squash.
Longoria says she now always travels with two paddles. She has padel courts at her homes in Los Angeles, Mexico City and Marbella, Spain.
“It is fun for anybody, if you’re an expert, if you’re a novice, if you’ve never played before, if you’re really good, or you’re kind of good like me,” Longoria says during a phone interview on a break from editing her second feature film, Netflix’s The Fifth Wheel, starring Kim Kardashian.
Padel is fast becoming the hottest trend among the celebrity luxury class. David Beckham, DJ Khaled, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jay-Z, and former NBA stars Dwyane Wade and Dwight Howard have all been spotted on the courts. Comedian Andrew Schulz riffs about it on his podcast. Cristiano Ronaldo recently said he loved the game so much it was one of the reasons he was looking forward to retirement.
