I tried out 'fastest growing sport in world' loved by David de Gea and Lionel Messi and see why it's popular

Padel claims to be the fastest-growing sport in the world. Loved by everyone from racquet great Andy Murray to Lionel Messi it really feels like it’s taking over. 

David de Gea and Usain Bolt have even been known to stop by the expanding Manchester Padel Club in recent months. So when the opportunity came up to give this a go, we weren’t going to miss out. 

Decathlon, a sports store located in Stockport, partnered with Soul Padel to host a beginner-friendly introduction to the much talked about sport. The sport is described as a combination between squash and tennis. 

Originating in Mexico in the 1960s, the sport is usually played in doubles on an enclosed court which is one third of the size of a tennis court. The ball can bounce off of any wall but can only hit the turf once before being returned.

There were two courts in operation at Decathlon, one was a coaching court with Angel Rino, a padel coach from Madrid. The other court was a free-for-all where people can test their newly-found skills and challenge their friends to a match.

Trying it for myself, it was definitely a challenge to grasp the concept of allowing the ball to hit the wall before you hit it - but with some guidance from coach Rino, I really enjoyed playing and can see why it’s starting to make plenty of noise. 

I spoke to other players on their experiences playing padel for the first time. Josh Harrison, a fitness influencer and coach, said: “I’ve never done anything like this before and it was really really fun. The coach has been absolutely amazing. I’m definitely going to try and play when I move to Manchester.”

Pilates instructor Sophie said: “It was really nice to have a professional trainer from Madrid and he was a really nice guy. I wasn’t great, I’m not going to lie, but it really got me into (padel) and I’d like to give it another go.”

Rachel Whittle, owner of fitness and wellbeing company ‘Inner Glow Wellness’, said: “It's been sick. I thought I was going to be really bad at padel but I wasn’t as bad as I thought I was going to be. But it was fun, the vibes were good, and it definitely got me into padel.”

Overall the experience was great, especially having a coach there to explain the sport and give some tips to new players. To combat the chill in the air, there was a DJ and sweet treats for the players which kept the atmosphere warm and bright. 

Padel for me was very fun and beginner-friendly, also having a great teamwork aspect. I can see no reason why it won’t become the sport of the summer.