Padel's Breakthrough Moment: South Africa's Premier Tournament Launches in Pretoria
South Africa's padel players face elite competition in the country's first official tour event.
Luan Krige felt goosebumps the moment it happened. His partner Richard Ashforth had sprinted far beyond the court boundaries, chased down a kicksmash, and returned it to win the point. The crowd at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria erupted. “That moment when Richard ran out and won that point and the crowd went mad is the moment we live for,” Krige told the Mail & Guardian.
That flash of joy came inside a difficult afternoon. South Africa’s top pairing, Krige and Ashforth, lost in straight sets to Spain’s Collardo Losada and Pol Hernandez Alvarez in the opening round of the Premier Padel P1 main draw on Monday. Edmond van Heerden and Jason Blakey Milner suffered the same result against Argentina’s Valentino Libaak and Gonzalo Gabriel Alfonso. Both South African teams fell short in their first outing at a tournament that marks the first time an official padel tour has included the country on its circuit.
The shot Ashforth produced will appear in Red Bull’s “Out the court” segment, a fan-voting highlight reel during Premier Padel livestreams on Red Bull TV that showcases spectacular plays where players pursue the ball outside the boundaries and succeed. Small consolation, perhaps, but a genuine one.
The country’s remaining hopes rest with Adam van Harte and Warren Kuhn, scheduled to play Tuesday evening against Spaniards Pablo Reina Ambel and Marcel Font.
Krige and Ashforth are candid about the gap between themselves and the world’s best. They are also candid about context: South African padel is only six years old, with the first public courts built in early 2020. Since then, growth has been rapid. According to Playtomic, the global application connecting padel players, South Africa now has 1,513 courts and 458 clubs spread across 30 cities. Players use those facilities an average of more than four times monthly. Last year alone, 131 new clubs opened and 387 new courts were built, with Gauteng and the Western Cape accounting for 67.7% of the nation’s court infrastructure.
The player base tells a more complicated story. Roughly half a million people play padel casually in South Africa, yet only 70,000 to 90,000 are active monthly participants. Krige and Ashforth themselves only entered the sport in 2023.
Meanwhile, franchise leagues have begun to sharpen local talent. The Diamond League and similar competitions have brought elite players onto the same courts, creating development pathways that did not exist before. Ashforth welcomed the effect, though not without reservation. “The leagues have helped us but there’s so many. We haven’t had a break but they do help the players in the country,” he said.
He was direct about what the next step requires. “To build ourselves, we do however need to play against these players more and go and train in countries like Spain,” Ashforth added.
The results at the SunBet Arena this week are disappointing by any measure. But the fact that Premier Padel is in Pretoria at all, with South African pairs in the draw, suggests the sport’s infrastructure has crossed some threshold of credibility on the world stage. Whether the talent can close the gap, and how quickly, is the question the rest of this week’s matches will begin to answer.
Q&A
What happened in the opening match for South Africa's top padel pairing at the Premier Padel P1 tournament?
Luan Krige and Richard Ashforth lost in straight sets to Spain's Collardo Losada and Pol Hernandez Alvarez in the opening round on Monday at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria.
How long has padel been established in South Africa, and when were the first public courts built?
South African padel is only six years old, with the first public courts built in early 2020. Since then, the sport has grown to include 1,513 courts and 458 clubs across 30 cities.
What does Richard Ashforth say is necessary for South African players to improve?
Ashforth stated that South African players need to play against elite competitors more frequently and train in countries like Spain to build their skills and close the gap with world-class players.
How many people actively participate in padel in South Africa compared to casual players?
Roughly half a million people play padel casually in South Africa, but only 70,000 to 90,000 are active monthly participants, showing a significant gap between casual interest and regular competitive play.