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Ex-Red Wing great Zetterberg brings padel fever to Detroit
Posted by Talbot Payne on May 30, 2024
Henrik Zetterberg, co-owner of Zmash Padel, hits a return during a game of padel at the Sterling Heights club. The former Red Wings star picked up the game in Sweden after retiring from the NHL five years ago. Clarence Tabb Jr., The Detroit News
Sterling Heights — What game does former NHL All-Star, Stanley Cup winner and Detroit Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg occupy himself with in retirement? Padel.
Padel?
The racquet sport is red-hot in Europe, South America and now the United States. With its origins in Mexico, the dynamic sport is a combination of tennis, squash, racquetball and platform tennis — and Zetterberg is addicted. So much so that he and two former Wings teammates, fellow Swedes Niklas Kronwall and Gustav Nyquist, have brought the game to Metro Detroit.
“We’re really excited to be here with this fantastic sport. I retired in 2019, moved back to Sweden, (and) wanted to do something,” said Zetterberg, who suffered back injuries in his last years on the ice. “I had a tough time playing tennis, running — but I had to move. I found out about this sport — it was one of the few activities that was good for my back, and I still get a really good workout. So, I started to play, and I got really, really hooked.”
Pronounced puh-del in the United States (“paddle” overseas), the doubles-team game is just 55 years old (about the same age as another popular racquet sport, pickleball). A net bisects the court like in tennis but with a 20% smaller surface area. Scoring is the same as tennis, as are the (slightly less-pressurized) balls. But the sport is played with a string-less bat inside four plexiglass walls, and the ball can be played off the glass like squash and racquetball, with playing field boundaries extending beyond the box.
The serve? Underhanded like pickleball.
Professional points can get crazy with smashes off the glass, players running outside the walls to pop balls back into play, and multiple shot angles. It’s made for TV. Popular in South America, the sport jumped the pond to Spain — then surged in Sweden during the pandemic.
“It’s the second-biggest sport in Spain, behind soccer. A lot of Swedes vacation in Spain, and they brought the sport back to Sweden,” said Kjellberg, CEO of Zmash (yes, the Z is a reference to Zetterberg). “During the pandemic, padel was the only activity you could do in Sweden. So, basically, the whole nation started playing it, and it exploded from there. Now, it’s huge all over Europe.”
The Swedish hockey trio of Zetterberg, Kronwall and Nyquist thought it a great fit for Detroit. As did Kjellberg, who was intrigued by the U.S. sports market after a stint here as a college tennis coach — and had just sold First Class Padel, a chain of six clubs in Sweden. A partnership was born.
“Michigan has a similar climate as in Sweden — nothing much to do in the wintertime except watch pro sports — so we looked into bringing it over here and, two years later, here we are,” Zetterberg said.
Since Zmash’s opening just six months ago, it’s hooked athletes from a variety of backgrounds and skill levels.
Zetterberg, 43, and Kjellberg, 33 — who played for three years on the World Padel Tour — joined the 62-year-old author of this article (a tennis player and former college basketball forward), and four-time NCAA All-America squash star Jess Berline, 52, of Birmingham for a fun game at Zmash.
Robert Kjellberg, CEO and co-owner of Zmash Padel, hits a shot at the company’s Sterling Heights facility. He played on the World Padel Tour before joining with two former Red Wings to bring the sport to Macomb County six months ago. Clarence Tabb Jr., The Detroit News
Like me, Zetterberg’s instincts come from tennis (though he joked he has to resist the temptation to check opponents into the plexiglass), having played it as a youth. Combining those instincts (which occasionally dictated a two-hand backhand when digging the ball out of a corner) with his world-class athleticism, he makes for a solid, consistent padel player.
“I think it’s like my hockey career. I wasn’t great at one thing — I was average on everything,” smiled the 2008 Conn Smythe Trophy winner. “For padel, it’s the same thing. I don’t have the power, I don’t have the volley game, but average, decent play can get you a long way.”
Berline (working the walls) and I (punching volleys) brought our own skills to bear, and our foursome played spirited games. The democratic nature of the sport is one reason for its exponential growth.
“It’s an easy learning curve to play,” Zetterberg said. “You don’t have to have a racquet background to play. I think that’s one of the benefits of padel, because the ball always comes to you, even if it goes by you. It will come back off the glass.”
That perspective is echoed by Zmash regular Michele Kowalkowski, 58, of Lake Orion — a tennis player-turned-pickleball teaching pro who has become a Padel Pied Piper, leading pals to Zmash.
“Anybody can play this game. It’s fundamentally easy to keep the ball in the court and get a great workout,” she said. “It’s a little bit of tennis, platform tennis and pickleball — but you will never master this game. You are always learning. The strategy is just fascinating.”
In addition to Zmash Padel league play, she enjoys the game with her daughter, Livy, and her husband, Scott, a former Lions linebacker. “The facility is so inviting, and so are the people and staff you meet here.”
Zetterberg & Co. located Zmash in a Sterling Heights warehouse space for its accessibility to all corners of the metro area — then they outfitted it to the nines. The lobby welcomes you with plush couches, chairs and video screens — and locker rooms are first-class. Players can sign up for lessons, court time and leagues on the Matchi racquet sports app. Membership is not required, but a $19 monthly membership will get you $20 off an hour’s $100 court fee.
The business model is inclusivity.
The courts are state-of-the-art, with regulation ceilings and aisles so that Zmash can host amateur tournaments, as well as international pro tourneys.
Robert Kjellberg returns a serve during a game of padel at Zmash in Sterling Heights. The game imported from Europe combines elements of tennis, platform tennis and pickleball. Clarence Tabb Jr., The Detroit News
The club held its first tournament earlier this month. “I came in and Nyquist flew in from Nashville — he’s still playing hockey with the Predators — so we teamed up,” Zetterberg said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t do great, but that shows there is a good level here.”
Back home in Ängelholm, Sweden, Zetterberg plays about three times a week. “Every pro athlete — when they retire — it’s hard to find that competitiveness. Some people go fishing or climbing or play golf. But padel is a sport where you get the competitiveness and a really good workout. I play golf a lot, but padel is the sport that gives me the most joy.”
According to the International Padel Federation, there are more than 25 million active players across some 90 countries. Players from Argentina and Spain dominate the World Padel Tour, with a focus on making TV-friendly padel an Olympic sport in 2032. The United States has 400 courts (and is on course to get to 30,000 by 2032, according to the United States Padel Association) and mega-clubs like Miami’s Ultra Padel, which has 20 courts and plans eight others — most of them outdoors.
After establishing the Sterling Heights location, Kjellberg said Zmash looks to expand to another location in Metro Detroit, as well as in Grand Rapids. Long-term plans include Cleveland and Chicago.
“With this business here, me and my family will be able to come (to Michigan) more often,” Zetterberg said. “I spent 16 years here as a Red Wing; my son was born here; we have a lot of friends here. We still call this home because we have so many good memories here. That’s why we come here because we love the community.”
Zmash Padel
6635 Sterling Drive S, Sterling Heights
Open daily, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
(947) 231-6515
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.