Padel

Padel (Spanish: pádel) is a racket sport typically played in doubles on an enclosed court slightly smaller than a doubles tennis court.[1][2] Although Padel shares the same scoring system as tennis, the rules, strokes, and technique are different. The balls used are similar but with a little less pressure. The main differences are that the court has walls and the balls can be played off them in a similar way as in the game of squash and that solid, stringless bats are used. The height of the ball being served must be at or below the waist level.

For other uses, see Padel (disambiguation).
"Padel tennis" redirects here. Not to be confused with Paddle tennis.

Padel
Padel players on outdoor padel courts
Highest governing bodyInternational Padel Federation (FIP)
NicknamesPaddle (US, Canada)
First played1969, Acapulco, Mexico
Characteristics
ContactNo
Team membersDoubles only
Mixed-sexSeparate competitions (mixed sometimes in leagues)
TypeRacquet sport
EquipmentPadel racquet, padel ball
VenueOutdoor or indoor padel court
Presence
Country or regionWorldwide
OlympicNo
ParalympicNo

The sport was invented in Mexico by Enrique Corcuera in 1969,[3] after he modified his squash court to incorporate elements of platform tennis.[4]

Padel is very popular in Spain and several countries in Latin America, especially Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Panama and Chile. It is also relatively popular in UAE, Italy, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, Sweden, Portugal, Andorra and The Netherlands.

Many well-known professional padel players have previously competed in tennis, including former WTA Tour players Roberta Vinci and Lara Arruabarrena.

History

The sport was invented in Mexico by Enrique Corcuera in 1969,[3] after he modified his squash court to incorporate elements of platform tennis.[4]

Rules
Padel court dimensions
  • Players: Most play in the sport of Padel is in doubles format (10 by 20 metres (32 ft 10 in by 65 ft 7 in)). Singles use 6 by 20 metres (19 ft 8 in by 65 ft 7 in) instead.
  • Serves: Both first and second serves must be underhand.
  • Score: Scoring method is the same as in tennis. Some circuits like the World Padel Tour and the International Senior Padel Tour use the "Golden Point" system.
  • Ball: Padel balls are required for official matches and to set an optimum player experience. Shape and color are similar to tennis balls. Tennis balls can be used but not recommended.
  • Padel Racquet: Solid with no strings. Has to be perforated by rule.
  • Walls: Walls are used as part of the game.
  • Levels: 1 beginner to 7 professional.

Scoring

Padel follows the same scoring as the tennis scoring system with the following exception:

  • In the 2020 season, World Padel Tour introduced the "Gold Point" or "Golden Point", a new scoring method for main tournaments (Master Final, Master, Open and Challenger) organized by the World Padel Tour.[5] This method of scoring has been widely adopted throughout non-professional tournaments as well.
    • The golden point in Padel:
      • The golden point occurs when the score reaches deuce during any game.
      • The receiving team chooses whether the service will come from the right or left of the court.
      • The team that wins that one single point will win the game.

Court
Padel area at ISPO 2014

The padel rules state that the playing field should be 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.[6] At the middle of the playing field there will be a net dividing the court in two, the net has a maximum height of 88 cm in the center raising to 92 centimetres (36 in) at sides (with a 0.5 centimetres (1⁄5 in) tolerance).[7]

The superstructure is made from connecting 3m high x 2m wide panels, with an additional 1m mesh height over the glass back walls (10m walls). 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 actually 4m in height, with the remaining side walls are 3m in height.

Glass panels make up the back walls and service side walls (closest 2 side panels to back walls), whilst metal mesh panels occupy the sides.[8]

The service lines are placed 3 metres (9 ft 10 in) before the back wall and there will be also another line in middle that divides the central rectangle in half. All lines have a 5-centimetre (2 in) width and should be clearly visible.

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

Adoption

Europe

Padel Pro Tour (PPT)[9] was the professional padel circuit which was created in 2005 as a result of the agreement between a group of organizers of matches of padel and Association of Professional Players of Padel (AJPP) and the Spanish Feminine Association of Pádel (AFEP). Nowadays, the most important padel circuit is World Padel Tour (WPT),[10] which started in Spain though it has already reached international expansion. In 2014 WPT has travelled to Portugal, Argentina and Dubai.

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.[11]

In 2021, there were approximately 700 Padel Courts in Sweden.[12] The Swedish Padel Association (Svenska Padelförbundet) was included as a member of the Swedish Sports Confederation (Riksidrottsförbundet) in 2021.[13]

North America

The US Padel Association[14] 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.

Asia

In 2014, the Swiss Club in Singapore opened the first padel court in Singapore.[15]

See also

Notes
  1. "Padel court". 30 October 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  2. "Are booming racquet sports helping or threatening tennis?". BBC Sport.
  3. "History of Padel". Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  4. "What is Padel? The world's fastest growing racket sport | Macron | Worldwide Shipping". Macron.
  5. "The Gold Point debuts in World Padel Tour in 2020 | World Padel Tour". worldpadeltour.com. 23 January 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  6. FIP 2021, p. 4.
  7. FIP 2021, p. 5.
  8. "Padel court structure". Padel Tennis. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  9. "Padel Pro Tour". Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  10. "World Padel Tour". Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  11. "Qatar officially joins International Padel Federation". 2 June 2021.
  12. Schüllerqvist, Max (1 November 2021). "Så fick Sverige dubbelt så många padelhallar som ishallar" [How Sweden got twice as many padel courts as ice rinks]. SVT Sport (in Swedish). Sveriges Television. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  13. "Padel och islandshäst välkomnas som nya medlemmar" [Padel and Icelandic horse are welcomed as new members] (in Swedish). Swedish Sports Confederation. 30 May 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  14. "US Padel Association". Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  15. "Beginning and development of padel in Asia". 12 December 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2020.

References
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