Wilson Partners With The Padel Clube, Midwest's First Padel Facility

Meet Padel Clube— the first padel facility in the Midwest that features six indoor padel courts, a Wilson pro shop, and a restaurant! Co-owners Rudi and Menchi Kalil share their love for the game and their plans to grow the padel community by inviting all to try the highly addictive sport.

Saturday, December 3rd, 2022, marked the beginning of a new era as the Padel Clube– the first padel facility in the Midwest– celebrated its grand opening. Located in Mundelein, IL, the Clube features six indoor padel courts, a Wilson pro shop, and a restaurant, with more thoughtful amenities on the way. Hundreds of people came from across the state to participate in padel clinics for players of all levels and open play. Attendees were also treated to a thrilling exhibition match between top-ranked professional padel players that featured jaw-dropping rallies and unthinkable shots. Based on attendees' reactions, it is easy to see why padel is taking the world by storm. Padel Clube owner Rudi Kalil is excited about the future of the sport in the United States and looks forward to helping more people gain access to what has been described as “the most fun of all the racquet sports.”

The Padel Clube team is eager to share its love of the sport with the Midwest community. Rudi, his wife and Clube co-owner Menchi, and their team wanted to ensure the facility included everything needed for people to experience a fun day of padel, even if they have to fit a match in between conference calls. Some of the amenities offered at the Padel Clube include:

• Six indoor padel courts
• Court rentals and lessons
• Wilson Pro Shop with clothing, equipment, and accessories
• Restaurant
• Rentable office spaces
• Training and recovery sessions

For more information about booking courts or lessons, check out their website.

When talking with Rudi about why he decided to open the Padel Clube, he said it was all about the experience. “You saw it at the grand opening when we came in. Everybody is smiling. I used to spend a lot of time in padel clubs, and I would look around, and everybody is smiling. And I thought, ‘I want more of this. This makes me happy, and this is a place where everybody is happy.’”

The entire Padel Clube team is committed to growing the padel community in the Midwest and welcoming those who have never experienced the sport.

“We don’t have memberships. Everybody is welcome,” explained Rudi. “That’s why our entrance looks like a living room— because you are at home. You just get in, feel at home, and look for your court. It is that simple.”

The Padel Clube x Wilson

When it came to choosing a brand to partner with, Rudi and Menchi didn’t hesitate to reach out to Wilson. “I think, first and foremost, being a racquet sports player, Wilson is the top-of-mind brand. Secondly, it is a Chicago-based company, so it makes complete sense to me,” said Kalil. “Wilson is Wilson. Nobody questions Wilson.”

“The most exciting thing about this partnership with Padel Clube is the opportunity to work with people as professional and passionate as Rudi and Menchi," said Ignacio “Iñaki” Cabrera, Global Business Director for Wilson Padel. "I have no doubt that the Padel CLUBE team and the Wilson team will form an unbeatable tandem that will take the padel player experience and consumer activations to the next level” -

The Padel Clube Pro Shop will sell and rent Wilson gear exclusively. The Kalils have been in touch with many folks at Wilson, from R&D to marketing, which has deepened their enthusiasm for the brand.

“This is a really heartfelt project,” said Menchi. “And it’s so nice to know that even though these individuals work for a corporation, you can just feel that they are right there with you and share in your passion. Sometimes when you work with a big company, you lose that. They bring the spirit, and we feel it and appreciate it. It’s more than a partnership— there is this family feeling.”

The Clube plans to build its following by offering a variety of fun events, such as weekly padel clinics for players of all levels and weekly men’s and women’s nights for open play.

But the Padel Clube also has a deeper purpose. “I want to develop the community,” said Menchi. “I want to bring in seniors and children with special needs— that is where I see this club developing. Rudi and I have always said this has to be a really welcoming sport, and everybody should have the right to access it.”

As a means to create access to the sport for as many people as possible, the Clube will offer equipment rentals to mitigate the start-up gear costs that usually come with picking up a new sport.

For more information about upcoming events, check out the Padel Clube website. And you can shop Wilson padel gear here.

What is Padel?

Padel is an exciting, up-and-coming racquet sport that’s extremely popular in Europe and is rapidly growing in other parts of the world. Nico Palacio, one of the Padel Clube coaches, discovered the sport on a visit home to Ecuador. “I decided to try out the sport, and that was it for me,” said Nico. “I was seeing people smiling and having fun. I was like, 'ok, this is weird because in most of these sports, the first time you try to play, it’s hard.' If you go and try tennis, it’s hard. But because of how easy padel is to learn, how easy it is on your body…throughout my two years of playing and teaching, I haven’t seen anyone without a smile on the court.”

So, what are the similarities between tennis and padel?

“The racquet is far more forgiving, and the ball is slower,” said Palacio. “And it is very easy on the body because you're playing over turf.”

A few similarities between both sports include scoring, volleys, and overheads. The differences, on the other hand, involve strategy, technique, and court positioning.

“To be honest, this sport is far more fun than any other racquet sport you can find… in my personal opinion,” said Rudi. “It is a sport that you can feel that you're working out, that isn’t dependent on the skill level, age, or physical condition that someone is in. You have four people on the court, and everyone can have fun.”

Rudi cited an example of playing padel for three straight hours with his nine-year-old son, a 13-year-old, and his 40+-year-old dad. Their varied skill levels didn’t matter on the court.

“When the Wilson people came for training, I asked the main coach, ‘What is it? Why is this sport super addictive?’ He said you don’t feel like you are bad at the sport,” said Menchi. “Even if you are a beginner, you will never have that feeling when you play. You are so into the fun because you are able to do it.”

Looking around the Padel Clube’s grand opening, there were, in fact, participants of all ages and skill levels playing matches together. And the joy was palpable.

For more information about padel, check out theWilson Padel Blog.

Why Play Padel?

While the sport is still relatively young in the United States, people who have played padel even once can’t stop. This phenomenon was on display when one hour after the Padel Clube’s grand opening celebration was scheduled to end, every single court was still full.

At the time of publication, there are 128 Padel Clubs in the United States, and the Padel Clube is the first in the Midwest. Wilson’s Regional Padel Manager, Diego Marquina has been deeply involved in forging the Padel Clube x Wilson partnership. He expects Padel to catch on like wildfire in the United States as it has in Europe and Latin America.

“Don’t wait!” said Marquina. “The longer you wait, the more you are going to regret it. You are going to think to yourself, ‘How come I didn’t try this before?’ It is a great workout, a great way to socialize— it’s just fun! And the community is super positive.”

For the latest information about the Padel Clube, check out their website and follow them on IG.

Location: 939 Tower Road, Mundelein, IL

Website:padelclube.com

Instagram:@padel.clube

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Updated January 19, 2023