NEW&NOW
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I STARTED PLAYING PADEL OVER A DECADE AGO DURING TRIPS TO EUROPE AND HAVE BEEN HOOKED EVER SINCE.”
Q&A
PADEL PUSHER CAPEHART
SWEDISH SOCCER PLAYER ANDERS SULISALO IS BRINGING PADEL—ONE OF THE FASTEST-GROWING RACKET SPORTS SINCE PICKLEBALL—TO THE PALM BEACHES
The first state-of-the-art padel club is opening this month in West Palm Beach, bringing to the Palm Beaches a sport that has been popular throughout Europe and South America for decades and is quickly gaining ground in the United States. A cross between tennis and pickleball, padel offers the added thrill of an enclosed four-wall court like racquetball. “I started playing padel over a decade ago during trips to Europe and have been hooked ever since,” says Anders Sulisalo, 40, who moved to West Palm Beach from Sweden 17 years ago following an injury that ended his professional soccer career. “We can’t wait to welcome everyone to the Padel Club West Palm Beach. It’s the new, cooler golf.” (padelclub.us) 24
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BY JUDY ALEXANDRA DIEDWARDO
PBI: What inspired you to bring padel to Palm Beach County? Sulisalo: Shortly after moving here, I started playing with a Palm Beach family that has a padel court in their backyard. That friendship turned into a business partnership and shared desire to build Palm Beach County’s first standalone, luxury padel club. We found the perfect location to accommodate the 6,000-squarefoot complex that features a clubhouse, one indoor court, and three outdoor courts. Is it hard to play? Not at all. It’s built for everyone
regardless of athletic ability and more about playing the ball wherever it lands—including off the two glass walls on each end and the mesh fencing that surrounds the court. It’s also easy on your body because it’s played on Astroturf versus concrete. Is the inspiration behind this launch tied to promoting health and wellness? Absolutely! We’re introducing a new way to get a great workout that’s also very social. It’s the best of both worlds. What are the structural
requirements? Each court is 33 feet wide and 66 feet long and framed with a mesh fencing enclosure with a mesh net across the middle of the court and tempered glass walls on either end. Can you talk about the clubhouse design? We have an indoor/outdoor café and bar, lounge, and locker rooms designed by Palm Beach designer Caitlin Kah Interiors to be one of the premier padel clubs in the country and a sophisticated entertainment destination to socialize, host events, and network.
PALM BEACH ILLUSTRATED
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6/25/24 6:37 AM