Padel might be the fastest-growing sport in the UK, sold as healthy, addictive and packed with community spirit, but an increasing number of players are discovering there's a darker side lurking behind the glass walls of the court. 

From obsessive behaviour and toxic competitiveness to flirty messages, affairs and relationship breakdowns, some say it is becoming a real-life love rival. 

The game - a mix of tennis and squash that is played with solid bats on courts enclosed by glass - has exploded from being quite a niche European pastime into one of Britain's fastest-growing obsessions, loved by everyone from stay-at-home mothers to office workers, celebrities and even royals like the Princess of Wales.

According to the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), there are currently 1,825 courts across 551 venues around the UK, having grown from just 68 in 2019, accommodating an estimated 1,000,000 players.

It's huge, and only growing by the day as the rush to set up courts has become a race against time to cash in on the sport and cater to demand.

So what makes it so popular? According to my husband Chris (an ardent fan), it's thanks to the competition element, speed of play, and the ease with which to pick up the game. He says: 'Even if you haven't picked up a racket since school, it's relatively quick to find your rhythm and get the bug.'

Then there's the social aspect, with dedicated apps making it easy to meet-up with fellow enthusiasts and many clubs boasting café or bar areas.

But beneath the image of post-match beers, WhatsApp groups and 'friendly' doubles matches lies a darker side, with some players using the game as a way to cheat on their other halves and others using the sport apps like dating platforms 'Hinge and Tinder'.

One woman, who wished to remain anonymous, revealed how after her boyfriend began playing padel, she discovered 'flirty messages' on the app between him and a female player. 

She said: 'I realised he was only playing with or against her and then discovered lots of times when he said he was at the club, he wasn't. He was just seeing her. I ended up confronting him, and he admitted he had been cheating on me with her.' 

Someone else admitted they use the app Playtomic like a dating site, searching out attractive people to play with. 

They said: 'Apps like Hinge and Tinder are so bad now, at least this way you get to play something you really enjoy, with the added bonus of doing it with someone you might fancy or hit it off with.'

Another woman admitted that she had grown sick of her partner's obsession with padel and had been shocked after witnessing him lose on the court. 

She revealed: 'I had gone to watch him play, trying to be involved and supportive, but I was shocked when he got into a very heated argument with this guy he had lost to. 

'He lost it. I'd never seen that side to him, screaming and shouting over a point. It was embarrassing and so toxic. I dumped him not long after.'

Over on Reddit, there are hundreds of posts from spouses grumbling that their other halves are 'obsessed' or 'addicted' to the sport, with many claiming it has caused a wedge in their relationship.

The 'padelmania' that appears to take over players is a negative aspect I somewhat understand.

My husband Chris will be the first to admit that when he first got involved with the sport, he was obsessed; he still is, only he hasn't had the time lately to play. 

In the beginning, there was barely a day that went by that he wouldn't chew my ear off about different rackets, who did what on court, what level he was, and bemoan how someone he had played against wasn't as good as him, but had a higher level. 

He put it before everything, including me, occasionally, having complete tunnel vision over when he could get his next fix. And he's not the only one. 

However, padel for lots of couples is just something else to bond over. One fan told me: 'It's only been positive for me as my wife now plays.' 

And site PadelxChill, who create padel holidays, said, 'We find that the couples who do make it through end up playing together. 

'We know that as a platform with all the world's hotels with padel courts, a lot of the bookings are from couples who now want to play padel together on holiday.'

But it's not only the breakdown of some people's relationships that padel is coming under fire for. The darker side of the game also includes birds dying, noise pollution and diabetes fears.

In September 2025, residents who lived near Alderley Edge Cricket Club in Cheshire complained to the council over plans to convert existing tennis areas into padel courts, claiming the facilities would cause 'intolerable' noise and damage property values. 

They said that it would be 'a nearly constant sound increase from morning to evening… with reverberating gun-like noise and the shouting of participants'.

They also stated that they were worried the new courts at the club could have an impact on property prices in Alderley Edge, where the average house costs £692,000.

One resident said: 'The homes bordering the club represent the largest financial asset for most of the owners. 

'The introduction of padel will likely have a material impact on the value of these properties as it would shift the feel of the neighbourhood from semi-rural to semi-commercial.'

The plans for the courts are still with Cheshire East council, and according to Alderley Edge Cricket Club, which has been in business since 1870, there have been a number of amendments made to keep residents happy.

They said: 'We're hopeful for a decision to be made in June this year.'

Based on other councils' reactions, it's likely the courts will go ahead. In August 2025, the East Anglia Tennis and Squash Club wanted to convert one of its existing tennis courts to padel play, but people living nearby opposed the plan, citing that 'noise can affect mental health' as padel is louder than other racket sports. 

One resident living near the club stated the noise from padel could cause 'psychological harm'. Norwich city councillors ultimately gave the plans the go-ahead.

In Grateley, a small village in Hampshire with a population of just 700, when plans for turning a unit in a business park into a padel club were announced, some residents claimed the 'intolerable' noise could even lead to them developing type 2 diabetes. 

Speaking to The Times in October 2025, Steve Murphy and Tara Cragoe-Murphy claimed that the noise pollution caused by the courts could cause 'stress, cardiovascular problems, mental health affecting cognitive function and mental wellbeing,' and also claimed there was 'a link between noise exposure and an increase of metabolic disorders like type 2 diabetes'. 

Despite this, the local council granted planning permission, and now PikPadel is a thriving hub for the village.

And while not yet a problem in Britain, probably due to the lack of outdoor courts, overseas in padel's spiritual home of Spain, where millions of players have been playing for decades, a major victim of the sport is birds. 

As reported in EuroWeekly, experts have recorded an increasing number of birds flying into the 'invisible' 10mm toughened glass panels that enclose courts and dying on impact. 

In fact, the Spanish NGO Grefa estimates that each padel court in Spain accounts for 135 bird deaths a year.

While making sure outdoor courts are wildlife-friendly is paramount, the moaning about noise just shows to me that some people like to whinge and hate change.

Personally, I think anything that gets people exercising can only be positive, seeing as around two-thirds (64 to 66 per cent) of adults in the UK are either overweight or obese.