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What is Padel?

It hasn’t been a popular sport, so asking ‘What is Padel’? because of its surge in popularity recently can be a very good question to ask. Below you will find all the different facts about this fun and exciting sport:

The Rules and Equipment

  • Padel is a racket sport similar to tennis but different for instance, the ball can hit off the enclosed cage and the player can still hit the ball and continue play.
  • 4 people play on a court that is 10 by 20 metres. You hit the ball with an underhand serve to start the game. 
  • The scoring is the same as tennis. The biggest difference aside from the enclosed court is the rackets that are used. The rackets are solid with perforated holes being made of fiberglass or carbon fibre.
  • The walls of the court are made up of safety glass and metal mesh. 
  • The game of play doesn’t stop as much as it would with other racket sports so it makes it a lot of fun for rebounds and great for aerobic fitness.

The History of the Sport

  • The sport of Padel originated in Mexico. Enrique Corcuera created this racket sport. He and his friend from Spain were playing at Enrique’s home in Acapulco, Mexico in 1969. They played in a court enclosed by a wall that Enrique had built because he wanted to stop the ball going into his neigbours garden. His friend then brought the sport to Marbella in 1974. It’s now Spain’s 2nd most popular sport after football. It increased more and more throughout Spain and Spanish speaking countries. Fast forward 46 years when it exploded in popularity in 2020 all around the world.
  • In 2005 padel  became a professional sport with the introduction of the Pro Padel Tour in Spain. PPT rebranded itself as the World Padel Tour in 2013, a circuit that holds events throughout the world every year.

Padel Today

  • 18 padel courts are located in Ireland.
  • It’s popular in  the countries of Spain, Argentina, Mexico, Chile, France  and Portugal. There has also been an explosion popularity in Italy, Brazil, Belgium, Sweden and the Netherlands.
  • The WPT has created a live and on-demand streaming platform called World Padel Tour TV. WPT TV allows people to watch this fun and exciting new sport. You can also see content of previous tournaments so if you’re eager to dive deep into the sport be sure to check it out.
  • The Padel Federation of Ireland was established in 2011 and is helping today to increase it’s popularity.

 

For all the benefits of this sport, read this article.