Anyone for padel? Stars help fuel rise of tennis's upstart rival

It was once seen as a quirky upstart or continental fad.

- Sean Ingle

Celebrities endorsing padel include Stormzy and Lily James

(JEFF SPICER/GETTY IMAGES SEAN ZANNI/WIREIMAGE)

But padel now has nearly a million players across the UK after participation levels more than doubled in 2025.According to official figures seen by the Guardian, 860,000 Britons played padel at least once last year - up from 400,000 in 2024 and 129,000 in 2023.

The LTA, which is the sport’s national governing body, puts the extraordinary boom down to padel’s accessibility, with beginners able to pick up the game in minutes.

There are also more courts and the cool factor from celebrities including Eva Longoria, Lily James and Cristiano Ronaldo taking it up.

The rapper Stormzy and tennis star Andy Murray are also advocates of the fast-paced racket sport, which combines many of the rules and the scoring system of tennis with some elements of squash, including surrounding walls.