Today, athletes are no longer defined only by their performance. They are cultural figures, fashion icons, and lifestyle symbols. Padel is no longer just one of the world’s fastest-growing sports — it is becoming a lifestyle. As global brands increasingly invest in the game and a new generation of athletes emerges, players like Arturo Coello, Alejandro Galán and Juan Lebrón are redefining what it means to be a modern sports icon. Just as tennis gave the world figures like Roger Federer and Naomi Osaka, padel is creating its own ambassadors of style, performance and influence.
For FAB UK Magazine, we spoke with Bohdan Levchuk about the evolution of padel, the importance of personal style, and why the sport is rapidly becoming part of the global luxury and fashion conversation. As one of the rising names in international padel, Bohdan Levchuk represents a new generation of athletes redefining what it means to compete at the highest level. Ukrainian National Team player, World Top-500 (FIP #422), Austrian Top-5 athlete (peak #1), and Austrian Champion, as well as the founder of VSIM Padel Academy, Ukrainian Padel Community, Padel Party Camps, and VSIM Padel Foundation, Bohdan Levchuk finds the time to do it all!
In this exclusive interview, he shares his journey from professional tennis to the fast-growing world of padel, his professional ambitions, and why the sport has become a global lifestyle phenomenon.
How did your padel journey begin — and why did this sport become your choice?
My story began with tennis — I trained professionally as a junior in Odesa from a young age. Interestingly, even back then I had my first contact with a similar game: we would train fitness on the beach and play with rackets over a volleyball net. In a way, that planted a seed — one that eventually led me to become a World Beach Tennis Champion and to represent the Ukrainian national team in both beach tennis and padel.
I played padel seriously for the first time in Kyiv. After relocating to Vienna, I started training systematically and immersing myself deeply in the sport.
That was the moment I knew with complete clarity: this is the sport I want to grow in, the sport I believe in, and the one where I want to reach the very top.
Padel became my main focus. And my goal is not simply to play at a high level — it’s to climb all the way to the summit, and one day proudly represent my country at the Olympic Games.
Today padel is more than a sport — it’s part of a lifestyle. What makes it so magnetic?
Padel has a rare quality: it’s accessible, yet incredibly deep. You can enjoy it from day one, but to become a top player, you have to dedicate your life to it.
And above all — it’s about the people and the energy. It’s a social sport where you’re constantly connected, emotionally engaged, and always in motion.
Padel is often described as a highly social and emotional sport. How do you experience that energy from the inside?
It’s one of the most alive sports I’ve ever played. You’re in constant interaction — with your partner, your opponents, the atmosphere around
you. There’s nowhere to hide; everything you’re feeling shows. And that’s precisely why padel develops you not only as a player, but as a person.
How important is it for an athlete to build a visual and media identity today?
Today, it’s simply part of the profession. You work on your image the same way you work on your game
— it’s part of the daily routine. How you look, how you speak, what you stand for — all of it shapes you as an athlete and as a brand.
Can an athlete be a fashion icon in today’s world?
Today, it’s almost a necessity. We see top players collaborating with the world’s most prestigious brands — Rolex, Richard Mille. That speaks to the level the sport has reached and the audience it attracts. Padel is becoming part of global culture, lifestyle, and the premium segment. And a modern athlete isn’t defined only by results — it’s about style, influence, and identity.
How do you see the future of padel — a niche pursuit or a global phenomenon?
It’s already beyond a niche — it’s absolutely a global phenomenon.
“Padel will become one of the biggest sports in the world, standing alongside tennis, football, basketball, golf, and hockey.”
It has everything: spectacle, accessibility, a social dimension, and fierce competition. It fits perfectly into the modern world. I firmly believe padel will become an Olympic sport. The future belongs to this game!
PR: Mariya Lesniak, Varvara Karimova
INTERVIEW: Mariya Lesniak
PHOTOGRAPHY: Maxime Evangelista
Exclusively for FAB UK Magazine