10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Ex-Miami Hurricanes and Krop tennis standout is now a rising star in padel
When Brittany Dubins was about 10 years old, she was so sick with the flu that she could barely stand.
The Miami native told her parents that she didn't think she could compete in the individual 10-and-under state championships for tennis.
Dubins decided to try anyway. She skipped warm-ups to conserve her energy … and earned the title, shocking her parents by winning five matches in five days.
More than two decades later, Dubins is still surprising people.
After leading Krop High to the 2010 Class 6A tennis championship and earning honors as The Miami Herald's Athlete of the Year, Dubins had a solid four-year career with the Miami Hurricanes.
She then went to law school at Miami and passed the bar exam.
'I used to study while on the StairMaster,' Dubins said. 'Playing college tennis taught me discipline and work ethic.'
While in her last year of law school, Dubins enrolled in a study-abroad program and ended up spending a few months in Madrid, where her sister and former Krop doubles partner Taylor lives.
'I really loved Spain,' Dubins said. 'They have a saying over there that the Spanish siesta laughs at the 'American Dream.'
'In the U.S., we live to work. In Spain, they work to live. … I still have that strong American work ethic, but it's also important to make time for family and friends.'
After her study-abroad program ended, Dubins returned to Miami and passed the bar. She then returned to Madrid in January of 2019 to do a year-long Master's-degree program in International Sports Law.
One day, fate intervened in Dubins' post-tennis life.
'My brother-in-law invited me at the last minute to play padel because one of his friends bailed,' Dubins said. 'Because of my tennis background, I was pretty good right away, and I realized I was kicking these guys' butts.
'I said, 'OK, I have to play again.' I was having so much fun.'
Fast forward about five years and Dubins – now 33 but still at heart that young girl who keeps surprising everyone – is the top-ranked padel player among American women.
This coming weekend – from Thursday to Sunday – Dubins will be back home in Miami, representing the San Diego Stingrays as the Pro Padel League makes a stop at Wayfair Arena. That's located at 7321 NW 75 Street in Medley.
Besides the Stingrays, the other teams competing at Wayfair are: Miami Padel Club; Toronto Polar Bears; Cancun Waves; Los Angeles Beat; Arkansas Matrix; Las Vegas Smash; New York Atlantics; Houston Volts; and Florida Goats (based in Orlando).
Following this stop, Dubins – who is the only American competing in the league -- will travel with her team to San Sebastian (Spain) in July; Guadalajara (Mexico) in August; The Hamptons in New York (August 30-Sept. 1); and New York City in October.
For Dubins, who lives in Madrid, this is an opportunity for her family and friends to watch her play. Her father, Ross, is a Chicago native who was raised in Miami, and her mother, Veronica, is a native of Buenos Aires who moved here at age 17.
Since age four, Brittany learned tennis from her father, who is still the head pro at San Souci Tennis Center in North Miami.
But when Brittany made the switch to padel, Ross was all in, and he's now certified to teach her new sport.
For the uninitiated, padel was invented in Mexico, circa 1969. It is similar to tennis … except that you can hit the ball off the walls such as in squash, and you use a paddle instead of a racquet.
'There are so many nuances to padel,' Ross said. 'Most of the women (Brittany) is competing against having been playing for 15-to-20 years. (Brittany) has been only been playing for five, so she is still getting better, learning how to play the ball off the walls.
'Her best days are ahead of her.'
Indeed, padel is more popular abroad than it is in the U.S. That explains why Dubins' world ranking is No. 118 even while she finished last year No. 1 in the U.S.
For example, padel is second only to soccer as Spain's most popular sport. Also, the Padel World Championships have been held every other year since 1992, and Spain, Argentina or Brazil have reached the final in every competition.
In the U.S., at least 20 states have padel courts, and there are about 200 in the whole country, including several in Miami. That pales in comparison to the 20,000 courts in Spain, a much smaller country.
As for the money, while Dubins is a pro player, she 'breaks even' financially, according to her father.
'She needs more sponsorships,' Ross said. 'But, to do that, she needs to move up in the world ranking. If she can do that, there is potential to make money.
'But breaking even is a victory for Brittany because she loves the sport and she loves promoting it.'
Dubins is not the only former Hurricanes tennis player now competing in padel. Clementina Riobueno, a 30-year-old native of Venezuela, also plays padel, although she said she's not at Dubins' level.
'Brittany is fully dedicated to padel, and she's an amazing player,' Riobueno said. 'I have a full-time job outside of padel.'
Indeed, Riobueno works as an account director for Octagon, a sports agency.
Riobueno said she will be at Wayfair to root for Dubins.
'Whether it's with Octagon or my friendships,' Riobueno said, 'I'm very passionate about supporting women in sports.'
Dubins recently returned following a torn calf muscle that cost her two months of court time. In October, if all goes well, she will represent the U.S. in a tournament in Chile. She has previously represented Team USA at the world championships in Qatar (2024) and before that in Dubai.
'It's a special feeling to wear the red, white and blue in a competition,' Dubins said.
Padel has also allowed her to travel and play in Germany; Sweden; Mexico; France; and Paraguay, among other countries.
Dubins, who practiced law for about 10 months before discovering padel, won't rule out returning to that line of work someday.
'I'm not in a court room right now,' Dubins said. 'I'm just happy I'm on a court.'
