Lily James, Andy Murray and a million Britons: padel’s rise nears milestone
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UK participation levels more than doubled in 2025
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860,000 Britons played padel at least once last year
It was once seen as a quirky upstart or continental fad. But padel now has nearly a million players across the UK after participation levels more than doubled in 2025.
According to LTA figures seen by the Guardian, 860,000 Britons played padel at least once last year – up from 400,000 in 2024 and 129,000 in 2023 – as the racket sport’s dizzying rise continued.