Step aside, run clubs: New sport is becoming the hub for blossoming romances amid surge in new relationships

When choosing a date location, Britons have tended to pluck for a bar or a pub, while in recent years running clubs have emerged as the go-to spot for many.

However, preferences are seemingly shifting, with a surge of new relationships blossoming on the padel court.

New data from padel app Playtomic shows a massive boost in the popularity of ‘Open Matches’, its matchmaking tool that allows strangers to find team-mates, removing the headache of gathering four players by instead connecting people of similar skill levels.

In January last year, 41,008 Open Matches were organized in the UK through the platform. Just five months later in June, that number had climbed steadily to over 59,000.

By the end of the year, a staggering 90,113 Open Matches were organized nationally in December alone, representing a huge 120% growth in social matchmaking within a single calendar year.

And players are reaping more out of the match-making tool than a game of padel alone. Friendships, business partnerships and even romances have developed from open matchmaking. 

Zeffi Metia, from Manchester, met her partner Andy through Playtomic’s Open Matchmaking platform at Pure Padel. 

‘Padel had been quite life changing for me,’ she told the Daily Mail. 

‘I started playing in April 2024 at Pure Padel Alderley park and was 20 pounds heavier and both physically and mentally in a very different place. Over the last year and a half I have met some amazing people who I now call friends. 

‘Most importantly, padel brought me to my wonderful partner, Andy. What started on court has grown into something truly special off it, and for that reason I am a true advocate for the sport and super grateful to Pure Padel.’ 

Stories like Zeffi’s are becoming commonplace, with padel offering a low-pressure environment where people can meet authentically – all while staying active – making the sport the hub for new relationships in 2026.