Padel news: Man United looks to build new padel courts - Can the sport overthrow tennis as the king of racket sports?

Padel’s growth does not seem to be slowing down - and it is starting to seep into the game of football.

As part of a £50million facelift of Carrington Training Centre, Manchester United are aiming to build new padel courts on the site.

Sports News Blitz’s Vanely Barumire assesses the news surrounding padel’s integration with football.

A sport loved by manager Ruben Amorim and United players like Diogo Dalot, the new courts hope to improve team dynamics and relationships, of which the Red Devils are in desperate need of mending after a dismal defeat to Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup. 

Coupled with the global popularity of the sport, played by other global athletes, many sports fans are left wondering - can padel overtake the current champion of racket sports - tennis?

Grassroots overtake 

Tennis, in recent years, has been on a rebranding mission. 

Traditionally viewed as a pastime sport for the elite with exclusive tennis-club membership, the sport has started to change the narrative. 

Having spent £3.5million, the LTA Tennis Foundation delivered 17 newly covered tennis courts in 2024 alone as part of their £11million Quick Access Loan Scheme. 

Aiming to make the sport more accessible to different socioeconomic groups, the scheme shows the sport’s mission to rebrand itself. 

Padel, on the other hand, does not have the same image problem. 

Bursting onto the scene in the last five years, padel does not have a legacy or tradition to hold itself back from positioning itself as accessible to all. 

Padel’s courts are smaller, and the sport is played with a solid racket, meaning that it is easier to play, and the doubles element makes the sport a perfect, friendly outing. 

While there are still significantly more tennis courts than padel courts, the rate at which these padel courts are being built could be alarming to tennis, with the number of grassroots padel courts potentially overtaking that of tennis in the next few years.

READ MORE: Padel news: Padel vs tennis - similarities and differences

‘Cash is king’ 

Some of the highest-paid athletes are tennis players.

Serena Williams retired from the sport with a net worth of $300million, and Spanish tennis legend, Rafael Nadal, netted $220million before laying down the racket. 

The current world number one tennis player, Jannik Sinner, reportedly earned £3million in prize money after winning Wimbledon, compared to padel’s top seeds Agustin Tapia and Arturo Coello, who earned a fraction of that - $492,375. 

The money spent on the two sports at the professional level is incomparable. 

While padel is growing with TV deals from Sky and TNT Sports and investment from Qatar Sports Investment group, the money put into the sport is not on the same level as tennis. 

Padel, no matter how many courts get approved by councils, will not match the money tennis generates. 

And so, I don’t believe padel will ever surpass tennis in viewership as it struggles to attract young talent. 

However, while hundreds of millions from prize money and sponsorship can be made, tennis is still more appealing to young sports fans. 

With that, padel may struggle to develop professionally as there are no known young talents to help the sport grow, unlike tennis, which fosters young tennis players with global junior competitions.

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Future ruler 

So what does the future of racket sports look like? 

Personally, I don’t believe that padel will overtake professional tennis anytime soon. 

With its prestige, steep tradition, and lucrative nature, tennis undoubtedly still holds the crown of racket sports. 

Potentially, what may be seen is padel surpassing tennis at grassroots level.

While it is more expensive to play, more investment in local and free courts may start to emerge. 

Professional tennis players need not worry about their large pay slips or sponsorships; padel is here to shake up the game by offering more options, not to overtake the sport. 

Think of padel as a Duke, there to aid and assist the seasoned king of the racket - tennis.

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