Decades after a three-continent tennis odyssey led to an unexpected real estate career in Chicago, Robert Sevim is helping Savills put on the Midwest’s largest tournament for another racket sport: padel.
The Savills Chicago Open, running Friday through Sunday at Union Padel Club, is expected to draw more than 150 players as part of the World Padel Rating circuit. Savills is the presenting sponsor.
For Sevim, Savills’ Chicago region president, the event sits at the intersection of business development and personal passion. Sevim, a former Northwestern University Division I tennis player, has spent recent years helping promote padel as both a sport and an emerging real estate use.
“This is another chance to plant our flag,” Sevim said, calling padel social and family friendly.
Padel, played doubles‑only on enclosed courts that allow shots off walls, has surged in popularity globally. In the United States, brokers and developers are increasingly looking at padel facilities as potential tenants for converted warehouses, former big‑box retail spaces and other large indoor footprints.
Savills has advised on padel‑related property deals in multiple countries and has published research tracking demand for new facilities, positioning the firm early in a niche that blends sports, lifestyle and real estate.
Sevim grew up playing tennis in South Africa and Switzerland before coming to the Chicago area on a college scholarship, an experience he said helped shape both his world view and competitive instincts.
After graduating from Northwestern, Sevim began a career in advertising at Chicago-based Leo Burnett before seeking a change that led to Insignia/ESG, a real estate firm later acquired by CBRE.
With the career switch, Sevim said he found that he enjoys the competition for clients and the analytical approach required to piece together complex real estate deals.
“As an athlete, I feel like I need more adrenaline,” Sevim said. “Some people don’t want adrenaline during their work hours.”
Today, Sevim remains active in tennis, mentors current Northwestern players and has competed internationally, including representing the United States at the Maccabi Games in 2011. He speaks French, Afrikaans and Italian.
Those experiences, he said, have helped him work with international clients, including overseas companies, foreign consulates and organizations tied to global sports and media.
For Sevim, speaking the language just opens the conversation. “Consulates, French businesses, Italian businesses, they make decisions differently,” he said.