DUPR CEO Tito Machado is urging industry observers to maintain perspective when analyzing the rapid rise of padel, emphasizing that high percentage growth rates can be misleading when compared to the massive, established scale of pickleball. While acknowledging padel's legitimate momentum, Machado argues that the data must be interpreted with context regarding total participation and infrastructure accessibility.
Understanding the Data Gap Between Padel and Pickleball
Machado’s critique focuses on the difference between percentage growth and total participation volume. To illustrate why the current narrative surrounding these sports requires nuance, he highlights the following key points from the latest SFIA data:
- The Scale of Participation: While padel is growing, pickleball remains the dominant force with 24.3 million U.S. participants as of 2025, compared to 1.073 million for padel. This means pickleball currently boasts roughly 23 times as many players.
- Core Player Comparison: When looking at dedicated athletes—defined as those who play at least eight times per year—pickleball has approximately 7.5 million core players, whereas padel has 238,000.
- The "Small Base" Effect: Machado notes that percentage growth is often inflated when starting from a small number. He uses the example that growing from one player to ten represents a 900% increase, yet the total impact remains just ten players.
- Infrastructure Barriers: Padel requires specialized, expensive enclosed courts with glass walls, with only about 1,000 courts currently available across 31 states. In contrast, pickleball’s explosive growth is attributed to its extreme accessibility, as it can be played in parks, gyms, schools, and even driveways.
- The Reality of Pickleball's Growth: Despite headlines suggesting a slowdown, pickleball’s 1.3% growth rate is occurring on top of a massive existing pool of 24.3 million players. The sport grew more than fivefold between 2020 and 2025, moving from 4.2 million to 24.3 million participants.
- Room for Both Sports: Machado clarifies that he is a proponent of padel and believes it has significant potential, particularly in premium club environments and major cities. He emphasizes that the growth of one racket sport does not necessitate the failure of the other, provided the data is presented honestly.
Ultimately, Machado’s message to the industry is that while padel is enjoying a well-deserved moment of popularity, it is essential to distinguish between a sport’s rapid early-stage expansion and the sustained, large-scale participation that defines a mature powerhouse like pickleball. He encourages enthusiasts to celebrate padel’s success without relying on misleading statistical framing.
