Game On: Exploring the All-Inclusive Thrill of Padel for Every Age and Skill Level”.
According to the governing body, the International Padel Federation (FIP), padel is now played by around 25 million people worldwide with 20,000 courts in Spain alone-overtaking tennis in popularity.
The rapidly growing sport was launched in the 1960s by a wealthy Mexican businessman by the name of Enrique Corcuera. He was in search of a new game for his estate, which did not hold enough space for a tennis court, thus leading him to create a hybrid of tennis, squash and handball to formulate this social, collective sport by the name of Padel tennis. With active players in more than 90 countries and the number of courts in the UK increasing from just 50 in 2019 to approximately 300 in 2024, this newly blossoming sport is taking on the world by storm.
The point system in padel is the same as standard tennis scoring, so how do the rules differ?
In padel, a game begins with an underarm serve into your opponent’s court diagonally and the ball must bounce below waist level before you, as the server, can hit it. If the ball enters the service box and then hits the side or back wall- it is valid and up for play. Punctuality is sacrosanct in padel as a win for one team is automatically awarded if one or both of the other players are not on court 10 minutes after the start time.
These distinctive, quirky rules may hold the reason as to why this sport has encapsulated so many hearts globally with high end brands such as prada and versace jumping on the new hottest trend, selling kits and rackets upwards of £1400.
A numbe r of A list celebrities have also fallen in love with the sport with Lieonel Messi building his own private court in his back garden and The Prince and Princess of Wales as well as David Beckham spotted playing this fast-paced social racket sport.
There are padel tennis facilities situated across the country, including clubs in cities such as London, Bristol, Derby, Leeds and Edinburgh that you can join as a member however, some are also open for the community such as the members owned Northern Lawn Tennis Club in Manchester. They have recently launched 2 brand new covered padel courts into the community that are open for non-members to book, uniting both members of the club and members of the public to enjoy this newly blossoming sport.
The social, collective nature of this sport that is generally played in doubles provides a constructive opportunity to reduce stress and improve mental wellbeing whilst also toning muscles and improving coordination and reflexes. So why not give it a go?
