The Rafa Nadal Academy is extending its amateur padel circuit to the US for the first time, partnering with court-booking app Playtomic for four events across Miami, Austin and New York City in a move that underlines padel’s accelerating commercial footprint beyond its European base.
Padel’s push into the US market is gathering pace, with the Rafa Nadal Academy announcing four American editions of its amateur circuit for 2026, supported by court-booking platform Playtomic.
The Rafa Nadal Academy Padel Tour USA by Playtomic will run across four events this year. The season opens in Miami on March 13–15 at Padel X, followed by Austin on April 24–26 at Padel 39, then a second Miami stop at Ultra Padel on May 8–10. The circuit will close in New York City at The Reserve club, in Midtown Manhattan, with dates still to be confirmed.
Playtomic, whose app streamlines court reservations and connects players at clubs worldwide, will provide the technological infrastructure for the expansion. “Our mission is to drive the global growth of racket sports through technology and, for that reason, we’re particularly excited to accompany and support the Rafa Nadal Academy upon its arrival in the United States,” said Laura Rivas, Director of Sponsorships at Playtomic.
A circuit with European momentum moving west
The US launch follows two completed editions of the circuit in Spain and a more recent rollout in Italy. The academy’s amateur tour combines competitive play with leisure and social programming, positioning it at the recreational end of the market rather than the professional circuit.
The American padel market remains nascent relative to Southern Europe, where the sport commands tens of millions of regular players, but infrastructure investment has accelerated notably since 2022. The choice of Miami and New York City – two of the country’s most developed padel markets – alongside Austin, which has seen strong racket sports investment tied to its growing affluent population, reflects a calculated approach to seeding participation in high-density, high-income urban areas.
For Playtomic, the partnership extends a footprint that already spans tens of thousands of courts globally. Embedding the platform within a branded amateur series backed by one of tennis’s most recognized names gives the company a customer acquisition channel at a moment when US padel club numbers are still accelerating.
About
The Rafa Nadal Academy is a tennis and padel training and education complex founded in 2016 in Manacor, Mallorca, Spain. It offers programs for junior and adult players and operates the Rafa Nadal Academy Padel Tour, an amateur circuit spanning multiple countries. Playtomic is a racket sports technology company whose app enables court bookings, player matchmaking and club management across padel, tennis and other racket sports. It operates across markets in Europe, the Americas and beyond.
See also:
