Former tennis pro Dustin Brown is now attacking on the padel court. At the Cupra GPS Masters 1500 in Mönchengladbach, he is experiencing his first top tournament on German soil and showing that he can play spectacularly even without a tennis racket.
One year after retiring from tennis, Dustin Brown has traded his tennis racket for a padel racket.
The former German tennis pro will compete alongside Daniel Puttkammer at the Cupra GPS Masters 1500 in Mönchengladbach. The tournament is one of the highlights in the German Padel Association’s calendar and promises exciting matches at a high level.
The first major tournament
Brown was last active in tennis in 2024 and was considered a spectacular player of his generation. He thrilled audiences with his characteristic style of play and, among other things, scored a legendary victory against Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in 2015. Although Brown has been playing the sport, which is played on a mini tennis court in a glass cage, occasionally for several years, this weekend will be his first time participating in one of the biggest padel events on German soil.
He and his partner Puttkammer received a wild card from the organizers for the Cupra GPS Masters 1500 in Mönchengladbach.
Padel: The new passion
Brown told Bild: “I just really enjoy playing padel in general. Since retiring from my career a good year ago, I have more time for it and play much more intensively. Two or three times a week, if possible. Of course, not with the same intensity as the top German teams, but I’m really looking forward to experiencing this level up close at the tournament.”
Brown has set himself a clear goal for his top-level padel debut: “To have fun and play some good matches, maybe win the first round. We might get thrashed by the top players, but we’re just hoping for a great tournament. The focus is on having fun.”
Padel is a big trend among former athletes
The trend is clearly moving toward padel: more and more prominent athletes are discovering the world’s fastest-growing ball sport. Soccer stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic not only play themselves, but are also investing in padel facilities.
In Germany, Jürgen Klopp and Hansi Flick are involved in padel projects, while former Bayern star Arjen Robben has started a second active career and made his debut on the international tour of the World Federation FIP in 2025.
Dustin Brown’s new life after tennis
After the end of his international tennis career, Brown remains active in tennis, playing in the 1st Men’s Bundesliga for Cologne’s THC Stadion Rot-Weiss.
Off the court, the 41-year-old is enjoying his private life: “I’m now doing all the things I couldn’t do for almost 30 years because I was always traveling. I’m enjoying my time at home, meeting friends, and I’ve been a father for ten months.”
Brown also recently got involved in helping the victims of the hurricane disaster in Jamaica. On November 14, he organized a charity event in Cologne together with HELP Jamaica! and, with the help of numerous tennis pros, raised over €53,650 for the affected region.
