01 May 2025
Aspire Academy’s Head Padel Coach, Mariano Amat looks at the Academy's role in helping take the sport from a pastime to a competitive sport. Before his move to Qatar, the Argentine coached some of the world’s best players, including former world number ones Juan Lebrón and Alejandro Galán.
This opinion piece explores the extraordinary rise of padel in Qatar and highlights how passion, vision, and strategic investment are shaping its future. Through the insights of Mariano Amat, a world-renowned coach, Qatar’s journey to transform padel from a leisure pursuit into a thriving competitive sport is reflected, while building a foundation for global success.
“Padel has a vibrant and fascinating history beginning in Spain in the early 1970s, when Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe introduced the sport at his Marbella Club Hotel. From there, its rise has been unstoppable. The first World Junior Championship in 2000 ignited a global spark, propelling padel into a new era of passion, competition, and community. Guided by that same passion, I accepted a mission a year ago: to help shape a new generation of players in a country investing ambitiously in the future of padel. Today, I am proud to be part of Aspire Academy’s padel program, a key pillar in Qatar’s vision of becoming a global sports hub. Launched in 2023–2024, our program is rooted in identifying, nurturing, and empowering young talent through an innovative, structured approach. Excellence isn’t accidental; it is intentional, built through relentless daily work. This is the spirit we strive to instil in our players at Aspire Academy.
Since moving to Qatar, I have been inspired every day by the opportunity to build something from the ground up. Watching young players dream, grow, and thrive, both on and off the court, has been profoundly rewarding. At the Academy, we are not just building athletes; we are building confident, disciplined, and ambitious young individuals ready to leave their mark on the world.
From Leisure to Competition: A Journey Driven by Passion
When I arrived in Qatar, I found a strong starting point with padel being so incredibly popular in the country. But transitioning a sport from leisure to elite competition requires much more than passion. We must show young players how exciting competitive padel can be: thrilling matches, role models to look up to, and structured pathways to success. Regular youth tournaments, inspiring success stories, and community engagement are vital steps in transforming passion into performance. From my experience, players who successfully move from casual play to competitive levels need four things: a solid technical foundation, physical readiness to handle the pace, mental resilience to stay motivated and above all, a deep love for the sport. At Aspire Academy, we are lucky to have all the elements needed to nurture these traits, especially as we strive to identify talent at an early age so that we can carefully guide players through each developmental stage, making sure the training is both progressive and purposeful.
Doubles: A Unique Challenge and Opportunity
One of padel’s unique aspects is that it’s a doubles-only sport. Rather than a limitation, this format offers a rich opportunity: players develop tactical intelligence, teamwork, and the ability to adapt to a partner’s strengths and weaknesses. Learning to complement each other under pressure builds a mental strength that translates far beyond the court.
Qatar's Rising Place on the Global Stage
Padel is still a young sport worldwide, and that's an opportunity Qatar is taking advantage of and pushing itself to the forefront globally. Currently, just two countries (Spain and Argentina) dominate the professional scene. However, with strategic investment, structured talent pathways, and vision, Qatar has the potential to become a true force globally. Aspire Academy, with its cutting-edge facilities and focus on holistic development, provides the perfect foundation. What makes Aspire Academy unique is its belief that success is not just about winning titles. We care deeply about academic excellence, personal growth, and strong values. By combining elite sports training with education and character building, Aspire Academy creates future global ambassadors for Qatar — both in sport and in life.
Building for the Future
Looking ahead, my vision for Aspire Academy’s padel program is simple but ambitious: I want Aspire Academy to be a world-renowned talent pipeline — a place where young players are not just trained but transformed into champions competing and winning on the world stage. I want Aspire Academy to be known for its innovative approach, for blending precision coaching with passion, and for leaving a legacy that echoes far beyond Qatar’s borders.
A Final Word
Padel, much like Qatar itself, is writing its own inspiring story. Just as a vision powers Aspire Academy, our mission is to build champions who are ready to dream and achieve without limits.”