Padel Balls: New Sport for New Profit Streams

Trends

Last updated October 13, 2023

ByMiloš Soro

Reading time 2 mins

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We’re here to spot rising trends and jump on the bandwagon as soon as it starts leaving the station. Today’s trending product is an accessory in one of the fastest-growing sports exploding in Europe and the United States. It’s a sport that can’t be played without, you’ve guessed it, padel balls.

Padel Tennis: What’s That?

Padel tennis, or simply padel, is a relatively new sport that combines two other racquet sports — tennis and squash. The padel court is usually about 30% smaller than a standard tennis court, and it’s surrounded by glass walls that are a playable surface.

Padel is easier to master in the beginning, which allows everyone to start playing and enjoying the sport without any training necessary. The games are also usually shorter and require less stamina than tennis. Coupled with famous athletes, such as Rafael Nadal and David Beckham, posting videos playing the sport, the rise in popularity of padel is self-explanatory.

Apart from the court, padel requires specific racquets (with a perforated surface) and balls that contain less pressure.

Seller Focus

Padel balls (not to be confused with paddle balls) usually come in packages of three or four. It’s important that you market them correctly and accentuate the fact that they’re made specifically for padel, not tennis, squash, or pickleball. 

If you’re a sports equipment seller, adding padel balls to your portfolio is the perfect way to increase your sales.

Fashion retailers can also add specially designed, stylish padel balls to their inventory and appeal to higher-end players.

Pricing Examples

• Amazon: Sold by RacquetGalaxy. It’s a set of three Wilson-made padel balls with durable felt. They’re made for faster, less sandy surfaces. Price: $12.95.
• AliExpress: Sold by AMASPORT Store. You can choose to get three or six balls (two tubes of three) for a discounted price. The manufacturer uses acrylic, wool, and nylon to make the balls. Price: $12.88-$22.03, depending on the number of balls.
• eBay: Sold by Cockers Sports Burnley. Another set of three padel balls, this time made by Dunlop. The balls use premium synthetic felt for extra durability. Price: $12.17.

Padel Tennis Market Stats

The rapid growth of padel tennis has been followed closely by the growth of the necessary infrastructure. As of 2022, there are 40,000 padel courts around the world, compared to the top five countries having around 21,000 courts in 2019.

The sport’s market size was estimated to be $327 million in 2022, and experts believe it will grow at 9.6% until 2027. Currently, padel is most popular in Spain, with over 3.7 million active players.