Newsmaker

Interest in padel increases in Sarasota, major tournament coming in 2025

"Word is definitely out there" about padel, says Ellie Berdusco, manager of sports facility The Pad Sarasota.

By Elizabeth King
| 5:00 a.m. December 26, 2024
| 0 Free Articles Remaining!

Ellie Berdusco co-owns The Pad Sarasota.

Manatee-Sarasota

Interest is picking up in a sport that is relatively new to Sarasota: padel.

Somewhere between squash and tennis, padel (pronounced “paddle”) features courts punctuated by nets, mesh cages and walls that balls can bounce off of during play. The area’s first indoor padel facility — called The Pad Sarasota — opened in July near the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, and word has been spreading about the sport.