The History

Padel is a racquet sport that was developed in Mexico in the 1960s. It was created by Enrique Corcuera (left), who wanted to create a sport that could be played in a smaller space than traditional tennis. The first padel court was built in 1969 in Acapulco, Mexico, and the sport quickly spread to other parts of Mexico and then to other countries in Latin America.

Padel became very popular in Spain in the 1970’s. The Spanish began to modify the game and the rules, and it became more organized and competitive. The first Spanish national championship was held in 1974, and the Spanish Padel Federation was created in 1985.

Today, padel is played in many countries around the world, including Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, and the United States. It is particularly popular in Spain, where it is estimated that there are over 10 million padel players.

The Father of Padel, Enrique Corcuera

Various Types of Shots

  1. Volley

  2. Smash

  3. Serve

  4. Forehand

  5. Backhand

  6. Lob

  7. Off-The-Wall!

  8. Bandeja

  9. Vibora

  10. Chiquita

  • GAMEPLAY:

    • Keeping Score:

      • Padel is typically played in sets, like tennis. E.g. (Team A wins 6-2 6-1 against Team B)

        • If the score is tied at 6-6, a tiebreaker is played to determine the winner of the set. The tiebreaker is played just like it is in tennis.

    • Switching Ends: Players switch ends on every odd game.

    • Serving: The serve must be hit underhand after a bounce, into the opposite service box. The serve must bounce once before it is hit by the receiver.

    • Scoring points:

      • Team 1 wins a point if Team 2

        • Hits the ball into the net, the opposing fence or glass, or their own side of the court

        • Doesn’t hit the ball before it bounces twice on their own side.

    • Doubles - Padel is played in doubles. Each player alternates serving, the same way they do in tennis.

    • Let - On serve, it is replayed as long as it does not bounce into the wire. On regular point, play continues.

    • Scoring terminology- The same as it is in tennis. E.g (15-15, 40-15, Deuce, Ad-Out)

  • The Court Dimensions:

    • Padel is played on a court that is 10 meters x 20 meters (32’8”x65’7'“), that is enclosed with walls made of a combination of transparent or opaque material and metal wiring.

    • Back walls - 4 meters high (13’1” - first 3 meters (9’8'“) being transparent material, and the remaining 1 meter (3’1”) being the metallic wire.

    • Surface - Turf, Grass, Artificial Material, Concrete, or Wood (All must have a Regular bounce)

    • Side Walls - Different height throughout

      • Closer to the back walls is glass - 3 meters high x 2 meters long (9’8” x 6’6”)

      • Closer to the net is metallic wire - 2 meters high x 2 meters long (6’6” x 6’6”). The