Lily James, Andy Murray and a million Britons: padel’s rise nears milestone

It was once seen as a quirky upstart or continental fad. But padel now has nearly a million players across the UK after participation levels more than doubled in 2025.

According to LTA 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 – as the racket sport’s dizzying rise continued.

The LTA, tennis’s national governing body, puts the extraordinary boom down to padel’s accessibility, with beginners able to play in minutes, more courts, and the cool factor from celebrities such as Eva Longoria, Lily James and Cristiano Ronaldo taking up the sport.

Rapper Stormzy and tennis star Andy Murray have also become vocal advocates for the fast-paced racket sport, which combines many of the rules and scoring system of tennis with some elements of squash, including a back wall. However it is easier to learn as all serves are underarm and the court is a third of the size of a standard tennis court.

Tom Murray, the LTA’s head of padel, told the Guardian: “The growth of padel, both in Britain and globally, is undeniable, with participation rising at an exponential rate. It’s a fun, fast-paced and accessible sport that is attracting new players every day.

“As more courts are built across Great Britain, more people than ever are stepping on to the court to try it for themselves,” he added. “From high-profile figures in entertainment and sport, such as Lily James, Eva Longoria, Andy Murray and Cristiano Ronaldo padel’s visibility continues to increase, inspiring more people to pick up a racket.

“What makes padel particularly appealing is how easy it is to get started, many players can rally and play points from their very first session, immediately enjoying the physical, social and mental health benefits.”

By the end of 2025 there were 1,553 padel courts across 559 venues in the UK. That figure is up from 870 courts across 293 venues in 2024, and just 69 courts when the LTA took over the governance of the sport in 2020.

The LTA expects those figures to rise again in 2026, although there has been occasional pushback from some residents about the noise of the game.

Last month, for instance, a bid to build four new padel courts in York was rejected after residents complained that “having floodlights on seven days a week and the gunshot sound of the padel racket” would “discourage the birds and animals we share this location with”.

However little seems able to stop padel’s momentum, given the sport - which was invented in Mexico in the late 60s - has surged in popularity at amateur and professional level since the pandemic.

In August, London will stage the biggest professional tournament ever held in the UK when the Premier Padel Tour arrives for the first time.

Last week the International Padel Federation also announced that the sport would be a medal event at next year’s European Games in Istanbul – which it said was “a fundamental step on the pathway towards Olympic participation”.

And while the sport is seen as middle class, the LTA found the average off-peak court booking cost about £7 per person per hour – based on four people playing.

“With 860,000 people playing in 2025, over 10 million expressing interest in trying the sport, and around 1,600 courts now in place across hundreds of venues, padel’s momentum is undeniable,” added Tom Murray.