One of the fastest-growing sports in the world has arrived on these shores in a new tournament, and brands are lining up to take the first hit.
This week, the Sydney Opera House Northern Broadwalk will host the inaugural The Padel Invitational presented by UBS.
The Swiss global wealth manager and universal bank is the headline partner, but the tournament has attracted several other brands including Head, Waterdrop, Heineken, Patrón, Philips and more to be announced this week.
Padel, which originated from Mexico in 1968, has long been popular in Spain and Latin America, but is rapidly gaining traction across the world. With 35 million players worldwide, its popularity has doubled over the past six years, and is forecast to grow 105 million by 2035, which will see gain ground on tennis that is predicted to have 130 million players in that time.
In Australia, more than 100,000 people play padel with the number of courts (more than 160) and clubs (more than 36) doubling in the past year and tipped to double again in 2027.
The Padel Invitational presented by UBS will bring together some of the world’s top players and some of the sport’s biggest names in a unique showcase delivered in collaboration with Premier Padel, the sport’s official global professional tour, and the International Padel Federation (FIP).
“This year is when Australia has really woken up to the padel story and is taking it seriously as an individual sport,” Padel Invitational presented by UBS executive producer Nick Sloman told B&T.
“It’s a good time to be in racquet sports, as people are picking up rackets and we’re not seeing tennis participation impacted. What we’re seeing is all racquet sports are growing, and new people are getting into padel”.
Joining tennis great Pat Rafter, who is also one of Australia’s top ranked padel players, are eight international players from Spain, Argentina and Great Britain, including padel legends and former top ranked stars Juan Martín Díaz (from Argentina) and Alejandra Salazar (Spain).
There will also be a One Point Padel competition, inspired by the AO’s One Point Slam, on Saturday featuring actors Josh Heuston and Geraldine Viswanathan, model Bambi Northwood-Blyth, The Inspired Unemployed’s Matt Ford and Jack Steele, tennis greats Rafter and Todd Woodbridge and more.
The event will be streamed on YouTube and Tennis Australia’s FAST channel Tennis+.
Tennis Australia, also the governing body of padel in Australia, views padel as a golden opportunity to expand its racquet sports ecosystem, with a distinct new sport, rather than trying to tap into tennis fandom.
Although The Padel Invitational presented by UBS is not a Premier Padel official Tour event, the ambition is that Australia would one day host a tournament on the global padel circuit.
“There are opportunities for brands within each of these sports, if we treat them individually. For example, a number of the blocked categories at the Australian Open, we’ve been able to convert for this new event,” Sloman said.
“What we’ve seen with this event is that brands are asking a lot more questions about cultural moments and iconic leverageable IP to create PR-able moments, as opposed to the mass reach you would get from traditional sporting properties.”
Keeping padel hydrated
For hydration brand Waterdop, sponsoring The Padel Invitational presented by UBS was “a no-brainer” and aligns with its broader strategy to “show up all year around in racquet sports”.
Waterdrop is inviting women to hit the padel court on Friday alongside Australia’s number one female player Pascalle Thenoux and a host of international stars to learn how to play the sport.
Waterdrop ANZ managing director Catherine Dix told B&T padel complemented the brand’s sponsorship of the Australian Open.
“There’s nothing more iconic than having an event at the Sydney Opera House and heralding padel’s arrival to Australia,” she said.
“We really want to show up in key cultural moments like the AO and this event, the Padel Invitational, but also to support clubs and invest in the sport all year around.
“For Waterdrop, padel offers a combination of new audiences and then great brand visibility. The sport is also really accessible and a great sport for females in particular to get into.”
Waterdrop provides water stations at padel clubs around Australia, and wants to reduce the amount of plastic bottles at courts across the country.
At the Padel Invitational presented by UBS, aside from the women’s learn-and-play event on Friday, Waterdrop will be serving up special mocktails across the weekend.
Waterdrop’s support of tennis and padel is clearly paying dividends. In only three years in this market, Waterdrop has been doubling growth for the past three years and is now stocked in Woolworths.
By the end of the year, Waterdrop will be sold in 7/11 stores and pharmacies and is on track to reach 3,000 stores by the end of the year—more than doubling its distribution footprint from current numbers.
The Padel Invitational presented by UBS takes place on 15-16 August at the Sydney Opera House.
