Padel (also known as padel tennis) is a racquet sport played extensively in Spain and Latin America but it is extending fast in Europe.
Padel is typically played in doubles on an enclosed glass court about half the size of a tennis court. Scoring is the same as normal tennis and 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 racquets are used. The height of the ball being served must be at or below the waist level. The sport was invented in Acapulco, Mexico, by Enrique Corcuera in 1969. It is currently most popular in Hispanic American countries such as Argentina and Mexico as well as in Spain, although it is now beginning to spread rapidly across Europe and other continents.
Padel Pro Tour (PPT) 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 Pádel (AJPP) and the Spanish Feminine Association of Pádel (AFEP). Nowadays, the most important padel circuit is World Padel Tour (WPT), 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 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 www.britishpadel.co.uk . The courts are mainly in London, But the Rye Tennis and Squash Club in East Sussex has a padel facility.
The Facts
- Paddel (stringless racquet) with balls
- Players: Singles use 6x20m instead of 10x20m.
- Serves: Both 1st and 2nd serves must be underhand.
- Score: Scoring method is the same as in tennis.
- Ball: Very similar to tennis ball.Tennis balls are sometimes used.
- Paddle: Solid with no strings. May be perforated.
- Walls are used as part of the game.