DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – It’s one of the fastest growing sports in the country and some of the best players in the world were showing off their skills in Dallas Saturday.
The United States Padel Association held an event at T Bar M racquet club in Dallas. Players tried out for two wild-card spots on the national team.
Men and women from around North Texas played matches in front of the U.S. national team coach, who will select the top eight male and female players.
The sport of padel, which is a combination of tennis and racquetball, has taken a foothold in Europe and South America.
American players like Nico Agritelley say it’s fun to watch and a great workout.
“I call tennis checkers and padel is almost like chess. Learning how to play off the walls, longer points, less down time coming from tennis. Playing tennis for 24 years counting it’s something new and fun as well,” Agritelley said.
“Padel is easy to play. You are close to each other, the racquet is smaller than a tennis racquet, and if you play tennis it’s much easier,” said Claudio Risco, the U.S. National padel team coach.
The wild-card players chosen today will travel to the Middle East in November and compete with the U.S. national team in the world championships.
