WEST LOOP — A new racket sports club is bringing padel to Chicago, blending state-of-the-art indoor courts with upscale amenities in a bid to grow the fast-rising sport locally.
The idea for the club came from Fabian Gosselin, who moved from Mexico to Chicago for business school in 2020. He quickly realized there was no place in the city to play the sport he loved. As padel clubs opened in Miami, New York and Los Angeles, Gosselin saw an opportunity to introduce the fast-growing sport to Chicago.
Padel originated in Mexico in the late 1960s and has become popular across Europe and some Latin American countries. The game blends elements of tennis and squash and is played in doubles on an enclosed court smaller than a tennis court, where the walls are used to hit off of.
Gosselin partnered with Peter Goldman, who operates Lakeshore Sport & Fitness in Chicago and Elite Sports Club, combining his background as a longtime padel player with Goldman’s experience running large fitness facilities. The pair spent about a year and a half planning, funding and building out the club before its grand opening this month…