State of play: Padel, now one of the world's fastest-growing sports, is "creeping into American society and culture, and I think this is only the beginning of it," he tells Axios.

• Dedicated padel clubs, pronounced like paddle or the Spanish pádel (pah-dehl), swung into Sterling and Bethesda last year.

Zoom in: Padel started in Mexico over 50 years ago and is typically played in doubles.

• The courts are smaller than tennis courts and surrounded by walls (often glass or mesh) that players can bounce balls off.