David Berman (pictured above)
Investment manager, Upper East Side
Who are you here with?
My kids. I probably have a record number of kids for the Upper East Side: four boys, two girls. We’re a tennis-freak family — one of my sons was top 15 in the country growing up — but we also love padel and play a lot of it in South Africa, where we live for part of the year.
What do you love about the game?
I have a hedge fund, Durban Capital, and padel’s a great stress reliever. But it’s also just the most insane sport on the planet — fast, great exercise. It’s taken South Africa by storm; it’s taken Europe and Scandinavia by storm. I find it a bit odd, frankly, that padel is not taking off like pickleball is.
Agostina Pechi
Managing director, Tribeca
Lawrence Edelstein
Business-development associate, Flatiron
Where are you working?
I was at JPMorgan but quit a few months ago to find a field I might feel more passionate about. A lot of times in finance, you feel like a cog in a machine. I wanted to do something where that wouldn’t be the case. So now I’m hoping to work for one of the sports-gambling companies.
Michael Gardner
Financial analyst, Chelsea
Nick Wiener
Podcast and TV producer, Venice, California
Eduardo Diverio
Strategist, Hell’s Kitchen
Is padel expensive?
Well, my friend is the owner of this place, and he’s going to kill me, but his club is, I think, the most expensive in the world. In Spain, you pay ¤5 for an hour and a half of padel. Here, it’s like $55 per person for nonmembers. I know we’re in Williamsburg, but still.
Leny Lopez
Business owner, Vigo-Galicia, Spain
Eduardo Pascual Van Sant
Doctor, East Village
Fadi Tleel
Financial consultant, Williamsburg
Erick Castillo
Investment banker, Financial District
Lucy Marshall
Software engineer, Ithaca
Alejandro Ramos
Finance associate, Gowanus
Josh Berman
Venture capitalist, Upper East Side
Is padel fun?
I’m obsessed. I used to be in the top 20 in the country in tennis, and once I found padel, I started turning down going out at night so I could play with my new 50-year-old best friends. I got into it so much that I represented the USA in padel at the Maccabiah Games in Israel this summer — it’s like the Jewish Olympics.
Jacob Berman
Growth-equity investor, Tel Aviv, Israel
Ignacio Paullier
Finance executive, Hudson Yards
Portia Rowley
Model, Midwood
Valentin Debouche
Athletic-brand director, Sutton Place
Santiago Gomez
Padel Haus owner, Williamsburg
Is the sport getting bigger?
Well, we’ve had 4,000 players in the three months since we opened. And there are now 64 national federations in the world. When you get to 75, the sport qualifies for the Olympics. I’m pretty sure we’re going to see that happen.
Kyle Axelrod
Strategist, Lower East Side
Agostina Pechi
Managing director, Tribeca
Lawrence Edelstein
Business-development associate, Flatiron
Where are you working?
I was at JPMorgan but quit a few months ago to find a field I might feel more passionate about. A lot of times in finance, you feel like a cog in a machine. I wanted to do something where that wouldn’t be the case. So now I’m hoping to work for one of the sports-gambling companies.
Michael Gardner
Financial analyst, Chelsea
Nick Wiener
Podcast and TV producer, Venice, California
Eduardo Diverio
Strategist, Hell’s Kitchen
Is padel expensive?
Well, my friend is the owner of this place, and he’s going to kill me, but his club is, I think, the most expensive in the world. In Spain, you pay ¤5 for an hour and a half of padel. Here, it’s like $55 per person for nonmembers. I know we’re in Williamsburg, but still.
Leny Lopez
Business owner, Vigo-Galicia, Spain
Eduardo Pascual Van Sant
Doctor, East Village
Fadi Tleel
Financial consultant, Williamsburg
Erick Castillo
Investment banker, Financial District
Lucy Marshall
Software engineer, Ithaca
Alejandro Ramos
Finance associate, Gowanus
Josh Berman
Venture capitalist, Upper East Side
Is padel fun?
I’m obsessed. I used to be in the top 20 in the country in tennis, and once I found padel, I started turning down going out at night so I could play with my new 50-year-old best friends. I got into it so much that I represented the USA in padel at the Maccabiah Games in Israel this summer — it’s like the Jewish Olympics.
Jacob Berman
Growth-equity investor, Tel Aviv, Israel
Ignacio Paullier
Finance executive, Hudson Yards
Portia Rowley
Model, Midwood
Valentin Debouche
Athletic-brand director, Sutton Place
Santiago Gomez
Padel Haus owner, Williamsburg
Is the sport getting bigger?
Well, we’ve had 4,000 players in the three months since we opened. And there are now 64 national federations in the world. When you get to 75, the sport qualifies for the Olympics. I’m pretty sure we’re going to see that happen.
Kyle Axelrod
Strategist, Lower East Side
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