Still a relatively young sport, Padel is considered one of the fastest growing sports globally, with approximately 10 million players. Developed in the late sixties in South America, the modern game of Padel Tennis was introduced into Europe through Marbella in Southern Spain during the mid-nineteen-seventies.
The name Padel refects the games use of a stringless racquet, bringing together a combination of other racquet sports such as Tennis, Real Tennis and Squash. Played on a court smaller than that of a tennis court, the playing area is enclosed at either end in what would traditionally have been built using concrete walls surrounding the back of both sides of the court,
Although most modern courts now are built using “glass”, which in turn is helping to raise its popularity as a spectator sport. The two walled, or glass panelled ends are brought together by wire mesh which completes the padel court’s enclosure.
Essentially Padel is meant to be played as a doubles game, with opponents facing each other as in a normal tennis doubles match, and as with tennis the ball is allowed to bounce just once. The uniqueness of the game enables players to use the surrounding walls that make up the court to return the ball, hence the comparisons to Squash and Real tennis.
A match is played as a best of three sets using balls similar to that of tennis, and scored in the same way as tennis, Padel rules are a mixture of squash and tennis too.
New players to the game, of all ages, find it an easier and less demanding introduction to new and exciting, fast growing sport, however for those more advanced converts from tennis or squash. Padel can be equally demanding as it requires new skills and disciplines that sets it apart from other racquet sports.
Post time: Dec-25-2021
