Padel, a tennis-squash mix, wins over Novosibirsk players
In Novosibirsk, a relatively new sport is gaining popularity — padel. NGS journalist Maria Tishchenko found out what attracts city residents to it, how it compares to tennis, what equipment is needed, and whether it«s true that it»s easy to learn at any age, and that you can make friends during training. Details are in the article.
Padel is a sport that combines the rules of tennis and squash. The name comes from the English word paddle, which can be translated as «paddle» or «racket». Legend has it, it was invented by Mexican millionaire Enrique Corcuera in 1969 as a variation of tennis on a smaller court. It also differs from tennis in racket and game tactics. It is not a singles game.
“It really hooks you right away”
Novosibirsk resident Mikhail Turchinovich learned about padel from a friend who was wintering in Thailand and tried it for the first time there. He returned to Novosibirsk in the summer of 2024, saw that the first padel center had just opened here, and invited Mikhail to play.
«We tried playing with our group in the summer, and everyone really liked it. In the fall, we started playing regularly with friends every week or two. Padel really hooks you right away, and essentially, from the first time, we managed to play somehow. The sport is very dynamic, active, and interesting,» Mikhail said.
According to him, this sport is also interesting because it«s played in pairs, not one on one, like in tennis.
«This is a plus from the perspective of communication and interaction, and also the interest of the game itself, since in pairs it»s easier to balance team strength. All acquaintances who play, as a rule, do it in pairs. That is, if a husband or boyfriend plays, then the girl or wife also plays — not together, but each separately goes and plays,« the Novosibirsk resident explained.
Mikhail himself usually plays with his wife; during the New Year holidays he played with friends who came from other cities and countries, as well as with family — everyone liked it.
«To just play, you don»t need anything special: sneakers and sportswear. Rackets and balls are provided free of charge at the start; later, if you want to progress, you buy your own and sneakers specifically for padel, because the court has a special surface and the soles need to be suitable,« Mikhail said.
According to him, the first padel center opened on Mochishchenskoye Highway, the second, of the same network, — on Stantsionnaya. Now, mainly all regional tournaments are held there. Mikhail has also been actively participating in them since last May.
The padel centers in Novosibirsk operate under the brand Padel Tennis Club, managed by LLC «Bandekha». According to the «Kontur.Fokus» service, the company has existed since April 2024 and is headed by Vladimir Senchuk. He also owns 26% of the company, 26% is owned by Yekaterina Mirosnitskaya, 48% — by Alexey Mikheev. The latter is also a participant in other companies operating in the field of electrical equipment and architecture.
At the end of 2024, the company«s net loss amounted to 6.2 million rubles (about $62,000 at current rates). Data for 2025 is not yet available.
“You can play at your own pace”
Tournaments are organized by the Novosibirsk Oblast Padel Federation. According to its sports director (and concurrently the owner of the first padel center in the city) Alexey Mironositsky, this sport is very popular in the world, although it reached Russia and Siberia relatively recently.
«I played tennis for many years, including abroad, and saw many padel courts next to tennis courts. They are constantly full — people are playing,» he said. «Then this sport appeared in Moscow, and I decided to bring it to Novosibirsk. In principle, I don»t regret it.«
He admitted that introducing Novosibirsk residents to padel was difficult, but when the center gained a number of regular players, through word of mouth everything went quickly.
«The most common question: »Who will I play with? I«m alone, but they play in fours.» We constantly hold tournaments for players of different categories and always help find a partner. Plus, people come to us, meet, make new friends and play with them regularly, that is, it«s a very social sport,» said Alexey Mironositsky.
According to him, learning to play padel is ten times easier than tennis: the technique is simpler, there are fewer requirements for physical fitness, which suits most beginners.
«You can play at your own pace and enjoy the game,» noted Alexey Mironositsky.
Those who have just started getting interested in this sport most often ask about the features of rackets and the need for lessons with a coach. Alexey Mironositsky recommends learning the basics with a coach — at least the first three or four training sessions. Then you can play on your own.
At Padel Tennis Club, as indicated on the official website, a group session for two beginners costs 1,950 rubles per person (about $20 at current rates), a personal training session — 2,300–2,600 rubles (about $23–$26 at current rates). The center provides equipment, but court rental must be paid separately.
Tournaments cost 1,800 rubles per person (about $18 at current rates). The regional federation holds up to 10 tournaments a week for players of different levels. There are pair tournaments where people play with fixed partners, and those where players constantly change partners and play with each other in turn.
«Also, as the Padel Federation, we organize large regional tournaments. The nearest one will be February 6–8: some of the best athletes in Russia, who are in the top 20 of the ranking, will come. It will be a very cool representative tournament,» said Alexey Mironositsky.
“Novosibirsk has huge potential”
The press service of the Russian Padel Federation (RPF) noted that Novosibirsk Oblast is one of the regions where this sport has been systematically developed for several years. Moreover, our regional federation became one of the first 25 regional federations and branches at the time when the RPF was granted rights and obligations by the Russian Ministry of Sport at the end of July 2024.
General Director of the Russian Padel Federation Alexey Sorokin said that padel has held the title of the fastest growing sport in the world for more than five years. The number of active players on the planet in 2025 exceeded 35 million people, and the number of courts has already approached 70,000 — in the last year, their number increased by 15%. According to last year«s results, the number of courts in Russia alone grew almost fourfold — today there are about 600.
«We forecast that the number of active players, who go on court at least six or seven times a month, will triple by the end of 2026 and exceed 80,000 people,» he suggested. «The secret of such rapid expansion of padel is in its accessibility. This sport is understandable from the first lesson: low entry threshold, simple basic movements, fast progress, and minimal barriers by age and level of training.»
According to the RPF«s assessment, based on the results of its own market research, in the coming years padel in the country will develop most actively in million-plus cities and may become one of the types of active leisure for residents.
«I think Novosibirsk has huge potential in this regard. Moreover, padel is an all-season sport, which is a great help for regions with a long winter season,» noted Alexey Sorokin.
Novosibirsk residents often like to adopt activities seen abroad. Thus, a Siberian woman teaches how to walk properly in nature to cope with stress — a practice proposed by a Japanese minister.
