As the padel world rapidly evolves with new clubs, players, and tournaments sprouting faster than excuses after a missed smash, technology is making its mark on this already addictive sport. For those business leaders looking for inspiration from unexpected places, this technological transformation in padel offers fascinating parallels to the business world – all while we try not to trip over our own racquets in the process.
The Virtual Reality Revolution: Swinging at Pixels Instead of Balls
Virtual Reality in padel? Good heavens, what will they think of next – a tennis ball that doesn’t go flat after three matches? At the 2025 Hexagon Cup held in Madrid, I had the opportunity to try PadelVRGame, founded by Sergio Anglada. Picture this: instead of embarrassing yourself on an actual court, you can now do it from the comfort of your living room wearing what looks like oversized skiing goggles!All you need is a VR headset (Meta Quest devices ranging from £290-470), a specially designed connected racquet (a mere £36), and the early access app (£11.99). As someone who’s about as coordinated as a newborn giraffe on roller skates*, I found this technology surprisingly engaging. (You can see more on the VR tech on this YT video).
The system offers three types of experiences:
- Game mode with mini-games and competitions (where the competitive business person in you can still shine)
- Training system with coach Pablo Crosetti
- Mental exercises designed with sports psychologists
Even the professionals couldn’t resist having a go, with Tapia scoring 48, Chingotto 42, and Jairo Bautista an impressive 52 out of 60 in the drop shot game. Proof that even when the technology is virtual, the competitiveness remains painfully real.
AI on Court: When Robots Judge Your Backhand (Better Than Your Partner Does)
If Artificial Intelligence (AI) is conquering every industry faster than a British person apologizes for something that wasn’t their fault, padel is not immune. I casually note that the banner image of this blog post was made courtesy of OpenArt.Ai. Currently, AI in padel manifests in two primary ways:
Game Analysis: Your Personal Digital Coach
Several systems like Playsight, Skylab (part of Dartfish), and GameCam are using AI to provide multi-angle video recaps of your games. These systems extract meaningful statistics during play and tag events for easy filtering. Pablo Muñoz, Director of Operations at PadelHaus (in the US), praises Playsight’s ability to “automatically cut highlights of the match, determining the smashes and best rallies.” A bit like having your own personal BBC Sport team, just without the license fee.
Padel GPT: Where AI Inflates Your Ego Before Crushing It
Then there’s Padel GPT, an AI interface designed to help you determine your skill level. When I described myself (perhaps a tad generously), it enthusiastically rated me 6.0 out of 7! Either I accidentally typed that I was Alejandro Galán in disguise, or the AI was programmed with British politeness.
When I pointed out the unlikelihood of a 60-year-old player being at that level, it gracefully backpedaled with quintessential British tact:
“At age 60, you likely rely more on strategic placement, consistency, and technical skill rather than raw athleticism… Male Ego Factor: As you humorously acknowledged, it’s easy to lean towards an optimistic assessment.”
Nothing quite like being tactfully brought down a peg by an algorithm, is there?
Lights, Camera, Padel! When Sports Go Prime Time
The Hexagon Cup 2025 has secured impressive TV coverage, including ITV for weekend matches and free-to-air access globally through DAZN. According to their perhaps slightly enthusiastic press release, the event “is set to reach over 825 million households worldwide” – which is approximately 824 million more people than currently understand the padel rating system (more on that one day I hope NB Camille & Juanjo!).
Augmented Reality: When Graphics Tell More Truth Than Your Playing Partner
For the English commentary at Hexagon, Sandy Farquharson incorporated augmented reality (AR) into his broadcast analysis. Using match data, the AR created court overlays showing direction of serves, heat maps of player positions, and team positioning strategies.
Juan Tello heat map
Transition zone
Service direction
Serve return
These graphics revealed insights, such as:
- Juan Tello (first image on left), despite playing on the left, frequently ventured to the right side
- Professional players spend considerable time transitioning between the back and the net as seen in the court position of Claudia Jensen and Veronica Virseda (second image from left)
- In the third image, you can see that Delfi Brea directed only 8% of her serves toward the side glass with 83% down the middle, while Sofia Araujo tended to return down the line (73% of the time).
It’s like having the tactical analysis of a Premier League football match, just with considerably more stylish outfits.
Conclusion: Game, Set, and Digital Match
As padel continues its meteoric rise, technology will inevitably become more integrated into the sport – much like how our business world has been transformed by digital innovations. Whether you’re a technophile eager to embrace VR training or a traditionalist who believes the only app you need is the one that books your court, there’s no denying that these technological advances offer interesting parallels to business transformation.
Perhaps the greatest lesson from padel’s technological evolution is that even traditional activities can benefit from innovation without losing their essential character – a reminder for business leaders that transformation doesn’t mean abandoning your core identity.
So next time you step onto the padel court, remember: the same technological revolution changing your backhand might just inspire your next business breakthrough. Though I can’t promise your vibora will improve without actual practice, no matter how many VR sessions you complete. Some things, unfortunately, still require genuine talent – something I’m still searching for on both fronts.
What technological innovations in your industry might be inspired by seemingly unrelated fields? The court is now yours.
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*Not exactly true about me (yet!), but I think it would surely be accessible for anyone who has never lifted a sports racquet in their lives.
