Padel Everywhere: Ships, Caves, and Deconsecrated Churches for the Craziest Courts in the World

At high altitude. On the water. In a cave. And now on the flagship of the Navy. Padel is played everywhere, even in seemingly impossible locations that turn into incredible experiences for amateurs and professionals alike. This is the case with the Genova Premier Padel P2, the 12th tournament of the year for Premier Padel, the elite professional circuit governed by the International Padel Federation, which enjoyed an exceptional location for the opening ceremony: the Garibaldi Ship, a historic aircraft carrier moored in Genoa. And it was on the deck of this iconic Navy ship that the world’s number one pairs, Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia, and in the women’s category Ariana Sanchez and Paula Josemaria – together with Gemma Triay and Claudia Fernandez, Federico Chingotto and Alex Arroyo – put on a show on the court set up by MejorSet in record time, making the impossible possible: performing on the deck of a military ship.

The court set up on the Garibaldi Ship is not the only ‘mission impossible’ structure around the world. In Stockholm, Sweden, there is a court on a floating barge that moves along the city’s waters, offering players an ever-changing view. Also in Stockholm, during the pandemic, the Ericsson Globe arena became the Globen Padel: inside, 14 courts were created.

BETWEEN FORESTS AND DESERTS

In Northern European countries, it’s easy to find locations in close contact with nature. But those at Padel Helsinki are unique: here you can play within a forest, among trees and trails, experiencing padel halfway between a hiker and a classic player.

In Malaga, where the Malaga Premier Padel P1 will be held next week, it’s not uncommon to find padel courts next to (or even inside) supermarkets, for the series: paddle and shopping cart. But there’s more: in Andalusia, some real estate agencies include padel courts in the sale package of homes, an option that, according to sales data, is quite attractive. Also in Spain, in Cueva del Gato (Andalusia), there is a padel court located inside a natural cave. An amazing place that offers an experience as unique as it is ‘cool’. If in Dubai, in the luxurious Jumeirah area, you can play on outdoor courts in the middle of the desert and just steps away from the famous and luxurious skyscrapers of the United Arab Emirates; in France, you can play at high altitude. In Courchevel, in the French Alps, at over 1900 meters above sea level, you can play padel surrounded by snow-capped mountains and a National Geographic documentary-worthy panorama.

FROM THE ALPS TO THE ANDES

And padel on rooftops couldn’t be missing. We are in Madrid, one of the symbolic places of padel worldwide, where a panoramic court has been set up on the roof of the Reebok Sports Club La Finca, a practice that is spreading rapidly in different parts of the world. In Rome, for example, the Casilino Sky Padel offers the highest courts in Italy set up on a panoramic terrace 17 meters high with a breathtaking view of the capital.

And of course, padel in the deconsecrated church couldn’t be missing. This happens in the Netherlands, where the space of the Catholic Church of Saint Joseph in Arnhem, not far from the German border, was supposed to be transformed into a supermarket, as part of a residential structure. With the project stalled due to bureaucratic reasons, however, the builder Roland Verheij did not sit idle. Being a big fan of padel, he thought it was a good idea to place grates, glass, and a blue carpet where the faithful once prayed. To take a look at padel in the church and while waiting for Verheij to build a second court, there is a dedicated website that sounds a bit blasphemous but gives the idea: holypadel.nl.

Finally, in Mendoza, Argentina, one of the cradles of padel worldwide. In one of the most fertile wine regions in South America, there are courts among the rows of vines: good wine, racket, a view of the vineyards, and the Andes in the background. If George Clooney were to comment on it in the famous commercial, he would say nothing more than: “What else?”