Οne of Europe's fastest growing grassroots sports, Padel is easy to play, fun and sociable – and it's just been officially recognised as a form of tennis.
Padel was born in Acapulco in 1969 when Mexican businessman Enrique Corcuera created a home-built court on his farm. To prevent the ball from escaping on to his neighbour’s land, he built walls and a fence around the court. He played with solid, wooden paddles and called the game “Paddle Corcuera”. In 1974 Spanish entrepreneur Alfonso de Hohenlohe, a friend of Enrique’s, was the main driving force behind making padel an international sport. Hohenlohe enjoyed this new game so much that he decided to import it to Spain, where he built the country’s first two padel courts at the Marbella Club. By the late 1980s, padel had become a popular pastime, and the sport’s growth began to accelerate. In 1993, the first European Padel Championships took place, marking a significant milestone in the sport’s history. Padel’s popularity continues to rise, with new courts and clubs being built around the world.
ABOUT PADEL
Padel is a mix between Tennis and Squash. It’s usually played in doubles on an enclosed court surrounded by walls of glass and metallic mash. The court is one third of the size of a tennis court. The ball can bounce of any wall but can only hit the turf once before being returned. Points can be scored when the ball does bounce twice in the competitors’ field.
The game is quick and easy to learn, making it a fun and addictive sport to play. Using a short, stringless padel racquet with an elastic surface with holes and a low compression tennis ball, the service is made underarm. Shots are played either before or after the ball bounces off the surrounding glass walls, adding a unique dimension to the sport over conventional tennis.
A padel court is one third of the size of a tennis court; 20m x 10m. The back walls are made of glass (3m high) with a 4m return on each side. The remainder of the court is enclosed with a 4m high metallic mesh.
As in tennis there is a net (88 – 92cm high) which divides the court in to two sides. Each side is split down the middle by a centre line which runs from the net to a line 3m from the back wall which marks the service area.
The playing surface is usually made from a synthetic turf which has an infill of sand making it more durable and allowing the player increased shot control and a greater range of movement. The turf will also slow the ball down after it bounces making it easier to hit.
A coin toss decides who serves first and which end of the court you start. Each point begins with an underarm serve; the server bounces the ball before striking it below waist height. Serves are hit diagonally alternating each side as in tennis. If the serve hits the wall or fence before the ground then it is out. Second serves are allowed.
The points system is the same as tennis the biggest difference being that the serve in Padel is underarm and that balls can be played off the glass walls in a similar way as in Squash. The rules allow for the use of the back and sidewalls, which results in longer rallies than in a conventional tennis match. Points are won rather by strategy than by strength and power.
A game is won by the first team to win 4 points (15, 30, 40 & Game). A team must win by two clear points (Deuce & Advantage). A set is won by the first team to reach 6 games; again with a clear margin of two. If the score gets to 6-6, a tiebreak is played. The team to win two sets is declared the winner.
Padel is a game of agility that requires players to quickly move around the court. Hence, it is important that players wear clothing that will allow them the freedom of movement the sport demands.