What is padel and why is it so popular?
Padel is a dynamic sport that combines elements of tennis and squash, played on a smaller, enclosed court with solid paddles and a perforated rubber ball. Originating in Mexico in the late 1960s, Padel quickly spread to Spain and Argentina, gaining immense popularity. Padel offers a unique blend of athleticism, strategy, and social interaction, making it appealing to players of all ages and skill levels. Its smaller court size and simplified rules make it more accessible to beginners, while still providing a challenging experience for seasoned athletes.With its easy-to-learn nature, social appeal, and competitive edge, more people are turning to Padel as their go-to sport. From recreational players to professional athletes, the Padel community in Dubai and Abu Dhabi is expanding, making it a must-try sport for all age groups.Padel is played on an enclosed court with walls, allowing for rebounds, while pickleball is played on an open court. Padel uses a depressurised tennis-like ball and solid rackets, whereas pickleball uses a plastic perforated ball and paddles.Padel is a fast-paced, social racket sport that is often described as a mix between tennis and squash. Predominantly played as doubles, padel is suitable for anyone to play and it’s easy to learn the basic skills. All you need is a partner, some basic equipment (see our recommendations below), a court, and away you go.
Why is padel so expensive?
Padel can be more costly than sports like tennis or badminton due to equipment, court design, and growing demand. However, its social, fast-paced nature and shared play format add value. Many players feel the fun and fitness benefits justify the higher cost, especially when playing regularly. Padel is easier to play and learn than tennis because less physical strength and technical capacities are demanded and there is a fantastic combination between your brain, challenged to its limits and your body that has to move a lot, but not necessarily as accurately as in tennis.Padel can also be physically difficult. The long rallies, the supports and the fact of playing with a hard ball do not make it easier. But inevitably badminton players have predispositions to read trajectories and hold on physically.The main difference between the sports is that padel allows the ball to be played off the walls, introducing an element of strategy involving angles and bounces. Tennis involves more running and uses a larger court, with more emphasis on powerful serves and ground strokes.One of the biggest stumbling blocks in the way of Padel as it attempts to break through in the United States is a lack of courts and the infrastructure required for the sport to grow. Padel is unique in its setup in that it requires a specific court and glass surrounding the court in order for the game to be played.
Why do they call it padel?
The Sports Council of Spain recognised Paddle as a sport and changed the name to Padel due to Spanish pronunciation. After constant expansion during the 90’s padel spread from the southern coast to the rest of Spain. There were now more than 500 padel clubs across the country. Spain is where padel is most popular, with over 4 million players and most of the professional players in the world padel tour representing Spain at the highest level! If you go on holiday to Spain, or live out there, then you will know about padel, the best players are huge celebrities there.Spain. Spain is where padel is most popular, with over 4 million players and most of the professional players in the world padel tour representing Spain at the highest level! If you go on holiday to Spain, or live out there, then you will know about padel, the best players are huge celebrities there.Spain and Argentina are undoubtedly the countries where playing padel costs the least, here for a game of an hour and a half you can spend even less than 7 euros per person. Truly derisory figures if we think that in some clubs in the United States you can get to spend as much as $60 to $80 per person.
What is the American version of padel?
Padel is traditionally only played as doubles, while pickleball can be both singles and doubles. Both sports start with an underarm serve diagonally into the opponent’s service box before playing the point out. In both padel and pickleball the ball can only bounce once. Each game is scored just like tennis, using the point system of 0, 15, 30, 40, advantage, deuce (when the score is tied at 40-40). In some professional padel games, a golden point system is used at deuce to decide the winner instead of playing multiple advantage points.Padel is generally considered easier than tennis. The smaller court size and the walls provide unique advantages that many players find beneficial. Unlike tennis, where rallies can become lengthy, padel encourages quick exchanges due to its dimensions.padel tennis is mostly played in the doubles format, with teams consisting of two players each. This setup encourages teamwork, communication, and synergy between partners, enhancing the overall dynamics of the game.The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) describes padel as the fastest-growing sport in the world, and as an innovative form of tennis.Padel can be played in singles, but is nearly always played as doubles. Scoring is the same as in tennis (15-0, 15-15, 30-15 etc), however, most people play a golden point at Deuce, instead of playing to advantage.
Who invented the padel?
The sport is thought to have been invented in Acapulco, Mexico, by Enrique Corcuera in 1969, after he modified his squash court to incorporate elements of platform tennis. Initially, the walls and the surface were concrete. Spectators could not watch the game. Enrique Corcuera in 1969 decided to adapt his Squash court at his home in Acapulco (Mexico) with elements of Platform Tennis creating what he called Paddle Corcuera. He is considered the inventor of Padel.
How much does padel cost?
RATES. The Padel Court is available in 30-minute slots (charged at R200/30 minutes). A minimum booking time of 60 minutes applies. Bookings are charged per court, not per player. The business of Padel Courts is found, mainly, in renting them by hour. The average price of this service in Spain is around 12-15 Euros per hour. If your Padel Courts were rented uninterruptedly between 10 am and 10 pm, the daily revenue would amount to 144 – 180 euros per court.The most are concentrated in south west London, specifically Wandsworth, where there are five courts. London’s cheapest padel court is Playtime Padel Clubs in Kingston, where it will set you back £20 an hour. In central London the price is double, with courts in Regent’s Park and Hyde Park charging £40 per hour.
Can you make money from padel?
The popularity of padel, also known in its Anglo-Saxon version as padel or padel tennis, has grown tremendously in recent years, making it a very profitable business opportunity. However, the profitability of padel courts depends on several factors, which we discussed above and which you can find it here. There are close to 30 million padel players worldwide, with the amount of courts set to keep scaling in the next few years, per Playtomic’s 2024 Global Padel Report.At an amateur level, padel is currently played in 130 countries and has over 30 million enthusiasts who play at least once a week.Fast-paced, accessible and social – it’s easy to see why padel is widely renowned as one of the fastest growing sports in the world.