FASHION

3 LOOKS FOR EVERY KIND OF PADEL PLAYER, FROM NEWBIE TO PRO

By Sarah Waldron, 20 July 2026

Do you padel? The sport’s recent surge in popularity in the UK means that group chats everywhere are pinging with requests to go play a few Sunday sets of the tennis-meets-squash game. Even I, a woman with a terminal lack of hand-eye coordination and a crippling affliction called ‘Ball Magnet Face’, have been tempted to give it a go. Padel truly is easy to learn but difficult to master – it’s been said that if tennis is checkers, padel is chess – but you can still get something out of it at any skill level. Now you’ve got the padel racket, you’ve looked up ‘padel near me’ enough times to commit the nearest courts to memory…what’s next? Oh, yes. What are you going to wear? Here are our favourite padel outfits.

THE HARDCORE PADEL ENTHUSIAST

You’ve got the padel app (Playtomic, btw). You’ve got the level rating (5.7? Go you!). You are padel. And if you play the sport with any regularity, you’re going to need dedicated padel shoes. Tennis shoes will do in a pinch, but you should be looking at something with enough grip for the court, enough responsiveness for quick rebounds and enough cushioning to protect your feet. OYSHO’s pair fits the bill. We like 4505’s matching baby-pink dress and headband on top – nothing says you mean business quite like subverting expectations. If Elle Woods can get through Harvard Law School in pink, you can certainly smash a few sets in the same colour. What, like it’s hard?

GET THE LOOK:

OYSHO Oy-ds 500 padel trainers in white, £69.99

ASOS DESIGN padel club ankle socks in cream, £8

4505 active halter neck tennis dress with under shorts in pastel pink, £35

4505 Icon active quick dry headband in pastel pink, £6

THE TENNIS-TO-PADEL CONVERT

You know your bajada from your bandeja, but Wimbledon has always been more your thing. Don’t sweat it – you can still bring the tennis whites vibe to the padel court. Padel is much more casual than tennis, so you don’t need to go the full game, set and match with your ‘fit. Still though, it’s fun to dress the part. Heritage brands like Lacoste and Polo Ralph Lauren will work for both sports, and your baseball cap will pay dividends for outdoor play when the sun’s in your eyes. For shoes, think something along the lines of On’s The Roger Advantage trainers – a collaboration with all-time tennis GOAT Roger Federer. While not a sports performance shoe, it still has the flex and grip you’ll need for a casual after-work game or two.

GET THE LOOK:

Lacoste Tennis Performance logo polo mini dress with shorts in white, £150

Polo Ralph Lauren tennis logo baseball cap in white, £80
4505 canvas tennis holdall with contrast straps in vintage white, £28

ON The Roger Advantage Performance Tennis trainers in white, £140

THE 'JUST HERE FOR THE LOLS' PADEL PLAYER

Pictures: ASOS

Hi, it’s me – your local racket sports blow-in. Like many people, I have been seduced more by the social potential than the activity element of padel, so you will find me hitting up the court in my least serious sports clothes, ready to natter. You will not find me lunging or volleying, and that’s the way I like it – in that spirit of fun over function, I usually wear a pair of adidas Originals’ Handball Spezials. This style is deceptively useful on clay thanks to its previous history as a court shoe, and it comes in so many bright and beautiful colourways. On top, I like a large graphic tee over tight-fitting jersey shorts, à la Princess Diana at the gym. The final look is something I’d be just as happy to wear in the pub after (and I often do).

GET THE LOOK:

4505 cotton oversized t-shirt with tennis print and quick dry in white, £20

adidas Originals Handball Spezial trainers in dark green with snake 3 stripes, £85
Polaroid Sunglasses Sporty sunglasses with mirror polarized lenses in black, £65

4505 Hourglass Icon soft touch high waist 8 inch legging short in black, £16