Meet the Rising Star of Padel, the Sport Taking the World by Storm

He’s a telegenic Spaniard in his early 20s. Gripping a customized implement, blasting a tennis ball over a net and into hard-to-reach pockets, covering the court like a tarp, he’s achieved his sport’s No. 1 ranking. He’s winning at a torrential clip and, about to enter his meaty prime years, showing no signs of slowing.

While the above could apply to Carlos Alcaraz, the leading light in the current cast of men’s tennis, today’s discussion is about Arturo Coello. The amiable Spaniard is 23 years old, and he is the world’s No. 1 practitioner of padel. Surging in worldwide popularity, padel is a mash-up of racket sports that marries elements of tennis (including the scoring system and ball) with the slashing strokes, delicate angles and tactical positioning (and wall usage) of squash. Though conceived more than 50 years ago in Mexico, padel has caught fire recently, particularly in Europe, where court construction is rising by triple digits year over year.

And no one has mastered the sport quite like Coello. Growing up in the Spanish town of Mojados, he was a sports omnivore, particularly adept at soccer. But then he caught padel fever, mastered the sport’s nuances, built up his cardio and astonished his parents by saying he wanted to try and launch a full-time career. Barely five years later, that turned out to be a wise move. Partnered with Argentina’s Agustín “The Astronaut” Tapia (padel is usually played in a doubles format at the pro level), Coello has emerged not just as a star but as the face of the sport. An ascending athlete in an ascending sport, he can no longer walk around his hometown—or Miami, where he keeps a base—going unnoticed. He recently signed an endorsement deal with the Swiss brand On, the first padel player to score a major footwear contract.

In between stops on the global circuit, he picked up the ball long enough to sit down with Sports Illustrated.

The interview is lightly edited for clarity and brevity.

Sports Illustrated: Okay, before we start: Pronounce the name of your sport.

Arturo Coello: Padel [Paddle].

SI: How did you discover the sport, padel?

AC: I started when I was down in my hometown. My parents played, and later I decided to dedicate myself to it.

SI: You told your parents you wanted to try and make it as a professional padel player. What was the response?

AC: They always supported my decision and gave me everything they could so I could fight for it. … When I tried padel, I liked it a lot and focused exclusively on it.

SI: Padel’s explosive growth. What do you attribute that to?

AC: Well, padel is a sport that everyone who tries ends up enjoying, and it’s also a sport for all ages. That made it unstoppable.

SI: When fans watch padel, what should they look for? What are you seeing that the casual fan, perhaps, is not?

AC: Here’s one good thing: They can look at its players’ position on the court.

SI: One tennis player who will be the best padel player?

AC: Without doubt, Carlos Alcaraz.

SI: If you never heard the word pickleball again, how will that make you feel?

AC: Honestly? I know that in the [U.S.] it’s a sport that’s growing a lot, but I don’t really hear about it very often.

SI: Padel will be an Olympic sport by when?

AC: Honestly, it's a dream for the sport, and I am sure it will be having, hopefully being 2032 [the Brisbane Games].

SI: What’s your goal for 2026?

AC: Let it be like 2025.

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