Forget pickleball? Padel fever hits Freeport with new five-court club

It’s one of the fastest-growing sports in the world.

And no, it’s not pickleball.

It’s padel, a fast-paced racket sport that has exploded in popularity overseas and is starting to catch on here on Long Island, where a new five-court facility is opening in Freeport.

Pop’s Padel opens Oct. 1 at 103 Mill Road, transforming the former Long Island Sports Complex and its indoor turf fields into a facility dedicated entirely to the sport.

Think tennis, but surrounded by walls.

Or, as owner Jordan Diamond describes it, a combination of tennis, squash, racquetball and pickleball.

“It’s fast-paced, you can play the balls off the wall, it’s so much fun,” Diamond told Greater Long Island.

Diamond discovered padel while watching TV about a year and a half ago and quickly became hooked.

“I’ve been a racket-sport player my whole life and I fell in love when I got to play for the first time,” he said.

“It’s an easy transition for anyone who played a racket sport,” Diamond said. “We play with something very similar to a tennis ball, there are just some different rules, and obviously we are surrounded by walls.”

The sport has become hugely popular in places such as Spain, and Diamond believes it’s only a matter of time before more Long Islanders catch on.

“There’s such a huge demand for this sport in places like Spain and I think it’ll be the same thing here soon,” he said. “We took a chance and think it’s going to grow here.”

Pop’s Padel, named in honor of Diamond’s late father, features five courts, with hourly rentals and memberships available. The facility will also offer lessons and clinics for newcomers looking to learn the game.

Head pro Pepe Miralles knows the sport well. A former college tennis player, he has been playing padel in his native Spain since he was 7 years old.

“It’s a very social sport,” Miralles said. “It’s not as difficult as tennis, it’s a little harder than pickleball. But it’s very easy to pick up and it’s very addictive.”

His goal now is getting Long Islanders who have never played onto a court.

“People just need to give it a chance, and they will see why we say, ‘I’ve got the padel fever.’”

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Top: Jordan Diamond, Pepe Miralles and two female padel players photographed Tuesday at Pop’s Padel in Freenport. (Credit: GLI/Andrew Rappaport)