What is Padel Tennis?

Padel tennis is a famous and fastest growing sport all over the world which is sometimes also referred to as padel. As the name suggests, padel tennis has many similarities with conventional tennis. If you love playing padel tennis, you must be interested to know about all the aspects of this game. Please continue reading to learn padel tennis, its history, scoring rules, and the equipment needed to start the gameplay.

What is Padel Tennis-A Brief Overview

Padel tennis is an interesting sport with a twist on conventional tennis. The game can be played on specific courts with a lower compression tennis ball and stringless shorter rackets by following the same winning rules as conventional tennis. Unlike traditional tennis, players in padel tennis can get one underhanded serve.

Padel tennis has become a famous game in all countries that all ages can play all year round. The game mixes the key element of squash and tennis. It is a racket sport that gives a sense of joy and relaxation by combining the action of social interaction and fun. Players need effective gameplay strategies instead of sheer power and strength to win the padel game. The players with mixed level skills can easily learn and play padel tennis.

Padel tennis has over 10 million active players worldwide, which is expected to increase in the coming years. Although the game is in its infancy in many countries, it has the potential to grow as a famous racket sport.

History of Padel Tennis

The concept of padel tennis was started in the Mexican city of Acapulco. In 1965, a Mexican resident, Enrique Corcuera, invented this game and created the first small padel tennis court for himself. The Padel court of Enrique was located on the walls of his house. He built another wall on the opposite side of the house to create the same playing conditions in the padel court.

Later in 1974, Enrique Corcuera invited his Spanish friend, Alfonso Hohenlohe and introduced him to the padel game. His friends liked the game and took the idea back to Spain. He was enthusiastic about the game, so he installed several padel courts in the Marbella Club hostel.

Alfonso organized many padel tennis tournaments and invited several celebrities to promote the game in different areas of the country. A celebrity from Argentina named Menditeguy also attended the padel tournament organized by Alfonso. He also liked this idea and took it back to Argentina. He built several padel courts to promote the game across the country. Within a very short period, the game gained huge popularity among the population of Argentina. Since then, the padel tennis game has spread all over the world.

Equipment

At first glance, padel tennis and tennis seem very similar. But if you look closer, you will see a noticeable difference, especially the equipment needed to play. We will mainly focus on two equipment padel tennis which are;

1.     Padel Tennis Racket

The racket of the padel tennis can be made of carbon-reinforced plastic or graphite, depending on the racket quality level. The racket has a stringless structure with several holes to allow players to swing it with little air resistance. The core of the racket is covered with several plastic layers to make it more durable and long-lasting. The inner side of the padel tennis racket is filled with flexible foam to reduce vibrations and increase ball acceleration.

The padel tennis racket has a maximum beam width of up to 38mm and a length of 18 inches. The end of the racket padel has a safety loop to ensure the safety of other players if the racket slips out from the player's hands.

A padel tennis racket can have three different head shapes, which are;

•         Teardrop Shape
•         Diamond Shape
•         Round Shape

2.     Padel Tennis Ball

Like a conventional tennis ball, a padel tennis ball is also yellow and made up of a rubber core. The diameter of a padel tennis ball can range between 2.50 and 2.63 inches. In addition, the padel tennis ball has low air compression to bounce off a little flatter.

Moreover, players need the right shoes to play padel tennis safely. Padel players need to invest in padel shoes to avoid injuries during playing.

Padel Tennis Court

•         Padel tennis court has some extra space
•         The court is 36 ft. wide and 78 ft. long
•         A net that divides the court into two sections has a height of 3 ft. at net posts and 2.9 ft. in the middle.
•         The cage that encloses the padel tennis court consists of a high metal grid and walls made of concrete or glass.
•         The passages of the padel tennis court are kept open to allow players to run quickly during the rallies.

The Padel Tennis Rules

Playing padel tennis is simple and easy as players must understand basic gameplay rules.

Gameplay Rules

•         The game is played only in doubles
•         A point in padel tennis starts from an underhand serve
•         Padel ball must bounce before hitting any structure
•         Players have two serve attempts
•         Players can return the ball by hitting it on a glass wall on their side

Scoring Rules

The scoring rules of padel tennis are very similar to conventional tennis. The game is usually played for 3 or 5 sets, where each set has six games. The teams must win 6 six games with at least two game differences to win the gameplay in padel tennis.

You can also win in padel tennis game if;

•         Padel ball bounces twice on the opponent’s side
•         Your rival fails two serve attempts
•         When your competitor hits the ball into the court net
•         Competitors hit the ball outside the court without hitting the ground on your side
•         Your opponent hits the padel ball before it hits the ground of the court

Conclusion

Padel tennis is a racket sport that mixes the key elements of squash and tennis. The game is only played in doubles on a spacious enclosed court. Padel tennis game has gained huge popularity all over the world because of its easy-to-understand gameplay rules.