Padel - How can this sport become even more popular?
The Vienna Padel Open brought great sport last week. However, this exciting new discipline has not yet really caught on with the public.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Jun 15, 2022, 12:52 pm
Anyone who stopped by the Vienna Padel Open last week will have come to no other conclusion than that this relatively young discipline offers fantastic entertainment. Dynamism, playfulness, tactical finesse, rallies that sometimes last a minute or even longer - plus two finals with the big favorites, both of which narrowly failed in the end. What more do you want? Well: a lot.
Because it is also true, of course, that there were still quite a few seats left on the stands in the STEFFL Arena. And the majority of the spectators who cheered on the players came to the hall via various special campaigns (e.g. in the jersey of the Austrian national football team or as students). Hopeful local heroes would have helped, it was no different in Brussels and Copenhagen, where the World Padel Tour has already been a guest this year.
Christoph Krenn and David Alten, the two best Austrian players, entered the tableau with a wild card and did well. But they will only be able to approach the extended world elite if they can continue to compete with the Spaniards and Argentines who have mastered the sport of padel. And when will there be the next opportunity to do so? What is missing is a substructure like in the professional tennis circuit with the ITF and the ATP Challenger Tour. Which is difficult because the World Padel Tour and the International Padel Federation are not green at the moment and are stealing the best players from each other. See you in court soon.
Hardly any opportunities for the national top players
The Vienna tournament cannot complain about the media coverage, the decisive matches could be seen in the stream and also on the ORF sports channel. And this young discipline is still growing in German-speaking countries, the number of padel courts will increase exponentially in the coming years. Which does not guarantee that there will be a double from Germany or Austria in the foreseeable future that could act on an equal footing with Juan Lebron and Alejandro Galan.
But if it is also in the interest of these two exceptional players that the sport continues to grow, then more must happen at the point of sale, i.e. at the tournaments. Then the few local heroes and also the superstars would have to take the time for the paying customers, organize workshops and go to the courts themselves. The capacities would be available in Vienna. And one more thing: don't forget the children. Yes, Kids Days can be an acoustic challenge for the professionals, especially in a hall. But when, if not at a young age, should one inspire the first native generation of padel players to play this sport?