The Wellington Tennis Center is growing. On Saturday, June 14, an official groundbreaking ceremony was held at the premises, located off Lyons Road in Wellington.
The groundbreaking officially announced the start of construction of seven brand-new padel courts and six additional tennis courts.
Padel is a racquet sport first developed in Mexico in the late 1960s. A popular sport across Latin America, it has been growing in popularity here in the United States.
The sport combines elements of tennis and squash, typically played in doubles format on a smaller, enclosed court. The court features walls that are part of the game, allowing the ball to be played off them, similar to squash. Padel is known for its social nature and easy learning curve, making it accessible to players of different skill levels.
The padel courts are coming to Wellington as part of a public-private partnership with 10by20 LLC, a company led by CEO Luis Carrero and Puerto Rican reggaeton star Ramón “Daddy Yankee” Ayala. The company is in the process of developing padel courts across South Florida.
According to Chuck Gill, the director of the Wellington Tennis Center, the new courts are being built to meet the growing demand for court space within the Village of Wellington for both padel and tennis.
“We broke ground on the village’s first-ever padel courts and the construction of six new tennis courts to meet growing community demand,” Gill said. “We will have seven padel courts. Of the six new regular tennis courts, three of them will be hard courts and three of them will be clay courts.”
This groundbreaking ceremony attracted a number of local government dignitaries. The list included every member of the Wellington Village Council: Mayor Michael Napoleone, Vice Mayor Tanya Siskind, Councilwoman Maria Antuña, Councilman John McGovern and Councilwoman Amanda Silvestri.
According to Liz Nunez, the village’s public information officer, expanding the number of courts at the Wellington Tennis Center will further expand the level of services provided by the facility to Wellington residents and Wellington Tennis Center members.
“The state-of-the-art padel facility is designed for players of all ages and skill levels,” Nunez said. “The new padel complex will feature a beautifully designed player’s area, café and pro shop — creating an exceptional experience for both casual and competitive athletes.”
Both the padel courts and the new tennis courts are expected to open for play in early 2026.
