French padel brand DEM Padel is positioning itself around durability rather than novelty, aiming to cut down on how often players need to replace their rackets. The brand, founded by Thimoté Fernandez, designs its rackets in France and has them manufactured by hand in Spain
Fernandez points to a common problem in the sport: rackets costing between €200 and €400 often fail within months, worn down by impacts with glass walls and grilles, collisions, and general material fatigue, with thousands discarded every year as a result. He argues that replacing rackets this often makes little financial, environmental or sporting sense, and says he set out to build the racket he wished he'd had himself
DEM Padel's rackets use a fully carbon construction in place of fiberglass, along with a tubular frame designed to absorb vibrations and shocks more effectively. The brand claims its rackets last two to three times longer than standard models, a pitch aimed at the more than 35 million padel players worldwide as concerns grow over equipment waste in the sport
