look book

The Look Book Goes to a Padel Club

With the opening of Padel Haus, the racquet sport — a cross between tennis and squash — has a home in Williamsburg.

Photo: DeSean McClinton-Holland
Photo: DeSean McClinton-Holland

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

Photographs by DeSean McClinton-Holland

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

Photographs by DeSean McClinton-Holland

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The Look Book Goes to a Padel Club