There was plenty for the U.S. padel world to be proud of — and excited about — during week one of the Pro Padel League’s second season, including the jaw-dropping host venue, Ultra Padel Club, and many of the world’s top players choosing to compete on U.S. soil. But in a league (and sport) so dominated by foreign players, it may be the poise, passion, and positivity shown by Miami-born Brittany Dubins that inspires future generations of U.S. padel players to turn pro and shoot for the stars.
When I asked San Diego Stingrays CEO Ryan Redondo about her week-one PPL performance, he immediately responded, “We are so impressed with Brittany. We recruited her for a reason, we saw the talent and drive that she possesses. But what we didn’t quite know was how incredible she is as a person.
She is extremely supportive of her teammates and shows great discipline around the various requirements of high-level performance. Watching Brittany and Lucia compete together and win, as well, was thrilling for the future of American padel. We hope this skyrockets her confidence and inspires the next generation of American padel players.”
I was equally impressed with her passionate determination that’s backed by a happy-go-lucky attitude when I interviewed her for an article last December, and if I had to guess, it’s probably a large part of what landed her a recent segment on CBS News.
As the CBS News piece noted, Dubins was a very accomplished college tennis player for the University of Miami Hurricanes and was once even named the Miami Herald‘s female athlete of the year. But when it comes to her love of — and skill for — padel, she gives full credit to her father, saying, “My dad is my favorite partner and we play a little bit of doubles and that’s always really fun.”
Ever the evangelist for the world’s fastest growing sport, she quickly adds, “Padel is really dynamic, there’s lots of strategy to it. It’s fun because sometimes you get to run outside of the [court to retrieve a ball] and the point continues. So, I think anyone who plays tennis would love to try padel.”
While Dubins’ game is on the rise, her San Diego Stingrays partner, Lucia Sainz (pictured with Dubins below), has already reached the highest highs of the padel world, having been ranked No. 1 in the world in 2020.
Heading into season two of the PPL, Sainz stated, “I am eager to begin this next chapter of my career by joining the San Diego Stingrays. I have long been passionate about the growth of our sport outside its traditional nations, and to help propel the game in a market as big as the United States is a huge moment for me personally.”
And Sainz obviously found pairing with Dubins in the PPL a great way to help reach that goal, as she told CBS News, “Brittany is great. It’s great to have an American player to play this tournament because we need [more] Americans to play.”
For now, Dubins is one of the very few U.S. players competing at the highest levels of the sport. But given her continued success, notable social media profile, and ultra-positive attitude, she may well help propel a second wave of U.S. talent into the upper echelons of the pro padel world.
Dubins summed up her week-one experience for CBS News in typical fashion, saying, “I love being at home… my friends… having my parents come to my matches. It feels amazing. I love Miami. I love the people, the weather. I’m just so happy to be here.”
Week two of the PPL kicked off this morning, and you can watch Dubins — and all of the other top PPL talent — play for free on the PPL YouTube channel.
