Darren McMullen Ignites Padel vs Pickleball Showdown: Darren McMullen, an actor and TV host, turned his love for padel into a career change in 2023. He skipped an acting audition to play in a padel tournament, which led him to open Racquet Club centres in Sydney and Canberra. These clubs offer padel and pickleball, but McMullen is clearly on Team Padel, calling it “the best game ever invented.”
“My agent went crazy: ‘What were you thinking? What’s your bread and butter?’ I was like, ‘God, you’re right. I should open a padel centre.’” – (McMullen)
Australia is seeing a rise in padel and pickleball. While pickleball is growing quickly with courts in breweries, padel is catching up. There are now 14 padel clubs across the country, and the sport’s popularity in Europe and South America is helping it grow in Australia too.
The Growth of Two Sports
Darren McMullen’s passion for padel has led him to open three Racquet Club locations. His flagship site in Moore Park features a sauna, ice baths, and DJ decks. Even though pickleball is played there too, McMullen sees padel as more serious.
“Pickleball’s a fantastic game, but it’s a game, not a sport.” – (McMullen)
Both games attract former or casual tennis players. They are easier on the body and more social, as they are usually played in doubles. Pickleball uses a plastic ball on a smaller court. Padel uses a tennis-like ball and is played on a glass-walled court that allows for squash-like rebounds.
Stars and Strong Opinions
Padel has gained many celebrity fans. Rafael Nadal and Pat Rafter support the sport, and Pat Rafter is also Padel Australia’s founding ambassador. Lionel Messi co-owns a padel team, and Cristiano Ronaldo owns padel clubs. On the pickleball side, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf have their paddles, while Billie Eilish and Coldplay have visited the Racquet Club to play.
Rosa Morris, a former tennis player, now competes in international pickleball events and was once ranked No. 1 in Australia for masters. She believes pickleball takes serious skill.
“The speed of pickleball is incredible. The ball comes rocketing at you and you’ve got to change direction very quickly. The rallies you have at the net are called fireflies or hand battles. It’s like ping-pong on steroids.” – (Morris)
Morris isn’t sold on padel.
“I’ve watched a bit of it. It’s crazy. They can go out of the door and play the ball and it looks like no one can ever win a point; it goes on and on.” – (Morris)
McMullen disagrees.
“I could give my mum, who’s never played a racket sport, a pickleball paddle and she’d be able to have a back and forth.” – (McMullen)
Injuries on the Rise
Both sports can cause injuries. Rob Daley, who is the chief operating officer of Game4Padel in Australia and a player on the national senior men’s padel team, says padel might become a risky sport, like squash in the 1980s.
Rosa Morris said she’s had injuries herself. “I’ve done two hammies,” she says, referring to her hamstrings. Adrian Jury, a general practitioner from Geelong who plays pickleball, said radiologists are seeing more cases of Achilles tendon ruptures in older players, sometimes after drinking before playing.
“When you take into consideration that each padel court costs $100,000, we spend close to $2m fitting out a warehouse, and our rent is close to a million dollars a year, I would say it’s quite reasonable.” – (McMullen)
“The lines get freaking confusing.” – (Morris)
Race to the Olympics
Rob Daley says padel is trying to make it into the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
“There’s an arms race to try and get a spot in the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. Padel’s a fair way in front, but there’s a pretty big checklist to tick off and probably a few things that the governing body is still a bit short on. With pickleball, there’s no single international governing body … and if you haven’t got that, the reality is you’ve got no chance.” – (Rob Daley)
Darren McMullen is frustrated by the process. He blames local councils and Tennis Australia for not supporting padel growth. “It’s like we’re asking to put in a fucking nightclub” he says. Tennis Australia supports padel but doesn’t want tennis courts replaced.
“not come at the expense of well-utilised tennis facilities or tennis programming.” – (McMullen)
What the Future Holds
Despite the rivalry, all three players agree that the success of one sport helps the other. They believe both games will continue to grow. Even tennis, they say, will eventually support these new sports more fully.
News in Brief: Darren McMullen Ignites Padel vs Pickleball Showdown
Darren McMullen’s love for padel has helped grow the sport in Australia, even as it competes with fast-growing pickleball. Both attract tennis fans, celebrities, and new players. While injuries and Olympic goals raise concerns, players agree: the success of one sport helps boost the other.
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