Padel

Padel

Padel players on outdoor padel courts
Highest governing body	International Padel Federation (FIP)
Nicknames	Paddle (US, Canada)
First played	1969, Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico
Characteristics
Contact	No
Team members	Usually doubles
Mixed-sex	Separate competitions (mixed sometimes in leagues)
Type	Racquet sport
Equipment	Padel racquet, padel ball
Venue	Outdoor or indoor padel court
Presence
Country or region	Worldwide
Olympic	No
Paralympic	No

Padel (Spanish: pádel) is a racket sport typically played in doubles on an enclosed court slightly smaller than a doubles tennis court.^[1] It has the same scoring system as tennis, but different rules, strokes, and technique. The balls are similar but softer. The bats are solid (without strings). Balls can be played off the court walls, similar to squash. A service must place the ball at or below the waist level. Padel originated in Mexico.

As of 2023, there were more than 25 million active players in more than 90 countries, according to the International Padel Federation (FIP).^[a][3] Padel is worth about €2bn a year and growing fast.^[when?][4]

The Padel World Championship is held every second year since 1992, with Argentina (every time), Spain or Brazil reaching the final in every competition.

The sport is thought to have been invented in Acapulco,^[5] Mexico, by Enrique Corcuera in 1969,^[6] after he modified his squash court to incorporate elements of platform tennis.^[7] Initially, the walls and the surface were concrete. Spectators could not watch the game. Over time, glass walls and artificial turf replaced concrete.^[8]

Many well-known professional padel players have previously competed in tennis, including former WTA Tour players Roberta Vinci and Lara Arruabarrena.^{[citation needed]}

Padel remained a niche sport for decades but its popularity soared during the COVID-19 pandemic as it could be played outdoors and didn't involve physical contact.^[9][2]

Padel was included in the 2023 European Games.^[3] The International Padel Federation (FIP) wants to have 75 national federations for padel to become an Olympic sport for the 2032 Summer Olympics.^[4][3][9]

Three padel courts can fit in one tennis court so many tennis clubs are converting tennis courts to padel courts as it is more profitable for business owners.^{[10][9][11][2]} In the U.S., padel courts cost between $60,000 and $80,000 to build.^[8]

In 2023, Deloitte projected the number of padel courts to potentially reach 84,000 by 2026.^[3]

• Players: Doubles is the most common format, using a 10 by 20 metre court (32' 10" by 65' 7"). Singles uses a 6 by 20 metre (19' 8" by 65' 7") court instead.
• Serves: Serves are always underarm and hit below waist level. Balls that hit the walls around the court after bouncing on the ground are still in play.
• Balls: Padel balls are required in official matches; these are similar to tennis balls but are slightly smaller. Padel is usually played casually with regular tennis balls.
• Rackets: Padel rackets are made of a composite material without strings. The hitting surface is perforated. The racket is similar to the one used in platform tennis but has its own specifications.
• Court: The court has a floor made of concrete, plastic or artificial grass. It is designed similarly to a tennis court, only smaller — measuring 10×20 m, with a 0.88m (34.6 inch) high net in the middle. The court is surrounded by 4 metre high walls made of glass or brick, or a fence when outside.

Padel has the tennis scoring system with an optional exception of a "golden point" similar to "no-advantage" scoring used in some tennis doubles and exhibition matches.^[12] The golden point is used to determine a winner when the score reaches deuce during any game. The team that wins this point wins the game. The receiving team chooses whether the service will come from the right or left of the court. Golden point was introduced in the 2020 World Padel Tour for the main tournaments (Master Final, Master, Open and Challenger).^[13] Some tournaments did not implement this or later reverted to standard advantage scoring.^[14]

The playing field is a rectangle 10 metres (32 ft 10 in) wide (back wall) and 20 metres (65 ft 7 in) long (side wall) (with a 0.5% tolerance), enclosed by walls.^[15] The court is divided into two half-rectangles by a net up to 88 cm (35 in) high in the centre and 92 cm (36 in) at sides (with a 5 mm (1⁄5 in) tolerance).^[1]

The superstructure is made from connecting 3m-high, 2m-wide panels, with an additional 1m mesh height over the glass back walls (10m walls).^{[citation needed]} This additional 1m height is continued for 2m from each corner over the side walls also. This means that the back walls and service corners are 4m high, and the remaining side walls are 3m high.^{[citation needed]}

Glass panels make up the back walls and service side walls (closest 2 side panels to back walls), while metal mesh panels occupy the sides.^[16]

The service lines are placed 3 m (9 ft 10 in) before the back wall and another line in middle divides the central rectangle in half. All lines have a 5 cm (2 in) width and should be clearly visible.^{[citation needed]}

The minimum height between the playing field and an obstacle (e.g. the ceiling) is 6 m (19 ft 8 in).

Padel tennis distinguishes itself in its gameplay, style and atmosphere. As a blend of tennis and squash, Padel offers a more relaxed and social environment than other racket sports. Unlike the formality often associated with tennis, Padel is characterised by its laid-back atmosphere, where players often enjoy casual wear and the presence of music on the courts. This casual ambiance contributes to the sport's growing popularity, attracting players of all ages and skill levels. The fast-paced nature of Padel, combined with its shorter court dimensions and the use of walls, fosters exciting and engaging gameplay, characterised by lengthy rallies and spirited crowd participation. The sport's allure lies not only in its accessibility but also in its ability to provide a fun and lively experience for players and spectators alike.^[17]

The Padel Pro Tour (PPT)^[18] was the professional padel circuit created in 2005 as a result of the agreement between a group of organisers of padel matches and the Association of Professional Players of Padel (AJPP) and the Spanish Feminine Association of Pádel (AFEP).

In 2013 the World Padel Tour (WPT) was founded by Spanish brewery Estrella Damm with the approval of the AJPP, whereas the PPT was shut down.^[19][20] The WPT was based in Spain but also included tournaments in other European countries as well as Argentina, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates.

In 2022 the Premier Padel was founded in a partnership between the FIP and Qatar Sports Investments. In August 2023 it acquired the rival World Padel Tour to create a new global circuit, starting in 2024.^[4]

Despite padel's origins in Spanish-speaking countries, the number of padel players and clubs in the northern part of Europe is growing. Sweden is the country with the second highest number of searches for the term "padel" in Google after Spain, according to the report presented by Playtomic and Monitor Deloitte.^{[citation needed]} And while countries such as Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway mainly opt for building indoor padel clubs because of their climatic conditions, Belgium, Italy, France and Germany prefer outdoor courts.^{[citation needed]}

In Spain, Sweden and Portugal there are more people playing padel than tennis.^[21]

According to the Playtomic Global Padel Report 2025, around 3,200 clubs were constructed globally in 2024.^[22]

Padel is the second most popular participation sport in Spain behind association football. As of 2022, there were five million players in Spain and more than 20,000 courts.^[9][23]

In October 2023, the Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) invested in the Hexagon Cup, a Madrid-based padel competition involving six franchise teams owned by celebrities.^[11]

The Swedish Padel Association (Svenska Padelförbundet) was included as a member of the Swedish Sports Confederation in 2021.^[24] The number of courts in Sweden grew from 560 in 2019 to more than 4,000 in 2022, exceeding demand at some point.^[3][25] From August 2022 to August 2023, over 120 Swedish padel courts have gone bankrupt as the fad has ended, according to the SVT news.^[26]

The sport's popularity along the Costa del Sol in southern Spain and the Algarve in southern Portugal has exposed it to a large number of British visitors, leading to an increased popularity of the sport in the UK and a launch of the UK Padel Federation in 2011.^[27] Padel is competing with tennis and squash, whose popularity is declining.^[9]

As of 2023, according to the Lawn Tennis Association, the sport’s governing body in the UK, there were 90,000 padel players in the country, compared with 915,000 tennis players.^[3] By 2025, the Lawn Tennis Association said there were 1,000 padel courts open across 325 venues in the UK, up from only 68 in 2019.^[28]

The US Padel Association^[29] was founded in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 1993, and opened two courts in the Chattanooga area. The American Padel Association was formed in 1995 and built its first courts at a private club in Houston, Texas, for exhibition games.^{[citation needed]}

As of 2022, there were 180 padel courts in the US,^[3] and according to The Padel State, there are now padel clubs or courts in at least 20 U.S. states.^[30] The A1 Padel tour is based in the US.^[3] The US Padel Association forecasts 30,000 courts in the US by 2030.^[11]

In Aug 2013, the Swiss Club in Singapore opened the first padel court in Singapore making it also the first padel court in Asia.^[31]

Since 2022-23, The Indonesian tourist island of Bali has become a padel hotspot. Jungle Padel is one of Bali's earliest and leading padel clubs with branches in Canggu and Ubud. Padel is popular for both long-term residents and increasingly among short-term visitors.

In 2023, the Padel Cafe in Pakistan opened the first padel court in pakistan.^[31]

In Lahore, Pakistan, Padel Café has emerged as a key venue for padel enthusiasts. Combining sports with a social café experience, it provides a dedicated space for players to enjoy padel while fostering a community atmosphere. The club has contributed to the growing popularity of padel in Pakistan, attracting both amateur and professional players.

In Gulf countries, the number of courts soared from 20 in 2016 to 1,850 in 2022, mostly in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman.^[3]

Uptake of padel in Oceania has been limited. It was not until January, 2016 that the first padel courts in Oceania were opened in Sydney.^[32]

As of late-2023 there were just seven registered padel clubs in Australia, with two in Sydney, two in Melbourne, one in Perth, one on the Gold Coast, and one in the regional town of Albury, with a combined total of 25 courts.^[33] The governing body is Padel Australia.^[34]

Padel has also been supported by Tennis Australia which aims to grow its popularity. At the 2022 Australian Open Tennis Grand Slam tournament a pop-up padel court was erected for public access and exhibition games, while in 2023 the first "Australian Padel Open" was held alongside the Australian Open tennis near to the tennis centre court at Rod Laver Arena.^[35]

The first padel court in New Zealand was opened in October, 2023, with a single court in Auckland at a suburban sporting and tennis club.^[36] A court at a second club in Auckland was also under construction, with plans for courts in other cities.^[37] A national governing body, Padel New Zealand, was also established, with plans to run national and international competitions.^[36] New Zealand's first indoor padel centre has also opened in Wellington, offering 3 doubles and 1 singles court; the club is called Padel House.

The first padel courts in South Africa opened in late 2020 in the Western Cape.^[38] As of 2024 this had grown to around 400 courts nationwide.^[39]

Most of the padel vocabulary comes from Spain due to the popularity in the country. However, with rapid growth in the Middle East and Africa, more and more words are being added to the padel vocabulary:^[40]

• Bandeja (literal translation: 'tray'): An overhand shot hit with spin rather than power towards the back of the court.
• Víbora (literal translation: 'viper'): Similar to the bandeja but hit with more power and spin, typically diagonally down.
• Bajada: When a ball takes a high bounce off the wall and is brought down with an overhand hit.
• Chiquita: Similar to a drop shot.
• Salida (literal translation: 'exit'): A player running off the court to save a ball that has bounced off the wall and out of the 20 by 10 court.
• Cadete: A behind-the-back shot.
• Boast: A shot hit against the rear or side wall.

• Padel World Championship
• Paddle tennis
• Real tennis
• Pickleball

• International Padel Federation (FIP)