It’s game, set and match as padel takes Nairobi by storm

More than half a century since Enrique Corcuera dreamt up his idea for a tennis-squash hybrid sport, and more than 9,000 miles away from its native Mexico, padel has found a new base.

On Wednesday, Kenya will host its first International Padel Federation silver tournament, one of the highest-ranked events run by the sport’s governing body.

Players from around the world will compete in Nairobi for a prize pot of €18,000 (£15,400). VIP seats for a table of ten are being sold for about 75,000 Kenyan shillings (£430), comparable with the country’s average monthly salary.

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The sport is one of the fastest-growing in Kenya, a country traditionally more concerned with football, rugby or athletics. On Tuesday, Nairobi was awarded the 2029 World Athletics Championships.

The first padel court opened in the affluent Nairobi suburb of Lavington in 2022. Now there are 35 venues across the country, mostly in the capital but also in Mombasa in the southeast.

Tim Schepers opened Kenya’s first padel club in May 2023 on Nairobi’s Ngong Road, a well-known arterial route. The 29-year-old from Nairobi discovered the sport while studying for a master’s degree in international business in Barcelona. Recognising that the European market was “saturated [and] the competition is so high”, he decided to return to his hometown.

Its popularity “blew up really quickly” and the company, Padel Point, now operates at three locations across Kenya.

The sport has faced accusations of elitism, being accessible only to upper-class Kenyans, the middle-class Indian-Kenyan community or white expats. Schepers says this has already changed. “It’s a very mixed demographic,” he told The Times.

He credits padel’s burgeoning popularity with its social nature as it is typically played in teams of two, combined with the fact that “it’s something that people can get into quickly”.

Schepers is also capitalising on the rising interest in wellness among young people, with his busiest site featuring an ice bath, hot tub and infrared sauna, as well as a restaurant that emphasises heathy eating and a bar with alcohol-free drinks. “We wanted to create a space where you can socialise without the influence of alcohol,” Schepers said.

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Ace Padel, which has just opened its second site in Nairobi, has more of a reputation for its party culture.

In the morning, the courts are generally filled with mothers and children before the academy athletes train during the day. Workers join in the evenings and sometimes play until the early hours.

“It promotes a good work-life balance”, said Lurtanya Dias, the head of marketing and events. “Some people will go clubbing until 2am, 3am, and still be up and ready for a game at 7.30am.”

It is not cheap though. A 90-minute peak court booking can cost 4,800 shillings(£27.50). On top of court rental, players will often buy their own rackets which range from 12,000 to 60,000 shillings, with balls between 1,200 and 2,000 shillings and grips for 1,500 shillings per pack.

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Sharon Juma, 35, spends three or four days a week at Ace Padel as its only female coach. She got into the sport after retiring from a career in professional cricket, playing for the national team. For the rest of the week, she trains for padel matches. “I’m obsessed with this sport”, she said.

Padel Point’s Prince Hilary Nyakabau, who discovered the sport in Madrid, teaches padel from 7am until 4pm, before teaching at his tennis academy from 4pm until 7pm. “If I’m not in tennis, I’m in padel. If I’m not in padel, I’m at home sleeping,” he said.

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