Your Cart
Oops! Your cart is empty
Your Cart
Oops! Your cart is empty
The Mexican tennis alternative is taking the UK and US by storm. Never heard of it? Here’s everything you need to dive in.
There are few things as joyous in life as going head to head against friends or strangers on a court. And whether your sport is tennis, squash, or badminton you already know just how addictive racket sports can be.
The good news is that the new kid on the block, Padel, promises a new take on your favourites, with new courts, rackets, balls, and rules.
Here’s everything you need to know to try your hand at the trendiest new racket sport today.
Let’s start with the easy-ish one. Padel has mostly been compared to tennis, so it makes sense that in the UK, the Lawn Tennis Association is the go-to authority on the topic. (And if you’re wondering “Is Padel just another name for Pickleball???”...it’s not!)
“Padel is an innovative racket sport that’s fun, easy to learn, and extremely sociable,” says Amy Flatman from the LTA.
Played on an enclosed court about a third the size of a tennis court, groups of mixed ages and abilities can play together, with courts typically surrounded by glass and wired mesh that players can rebound the ball off.
For Toby Bawden, director of Hexa Padel and Padel Corner, defining the sport is a little more tricky:
“Padel is described as a cross between tennis and squash, but I don’t like that description because it is its own sport,” he says. “The best way to explain it is that you use a racket, you score it like tennis, and essentially, you're in a sort-of tennis court and you can play the ball off the walls like in squash and hit over a net like tennis. It's super dynamic. It's very sociable and it's easy to play.”
Where it differs from tennis and squash is that Padel is always played as a doubles sport.
“That's pretty unique because the rest of the racket-sports world is singles, with doubles as an addition,” says Bawden. “There is the odd singles court, but really, Padel is a doubles game through and through.”
As for the rules, the LTA breaks it down like this:
“Points are started by an underarm serve before the rally is live. Each shot must clear the net and bounce in the court before hitting the wall or cage, to be considered “in.” If it hits the wall or cage without bouncing, the shot is out, and your opponents win the point. Scoring in Padel is the same as tennis and is most commonly played as sets and games. To win one set, you have to win six games and be leading by two clear games.”
Despite only recently gaining popularity in the UK and US, Padel – or, ‘Pádel’ in the original Spanish – has had a long and storied history.
It dates back to 1969, when Mexican businessman Enrique Corcuera designed and built the first recognised Padel court at his holiday home in the resort town of Acapulco. While today’s courts are built using glass and steel, Corcuera’s version had walls four metres high – primarily to stop the ball from going over into neighbouring properties.
However, it wasn’t until 1974 that Padel was ‘exported’ to its adopted homeland of Spain.
“A friend of Corcuera’s, Spanish entrepreneur Alfonso de Hohenlohe, had played the game in Mexico and on his return to Spain built two courts at the exclusive Marbella Club,” explains Lee McLaughlan, founder of Sweetspot Communications – a sports public relations company created to support the Padel industry.
While the sport was adopted across the Costa del Sol, a wealthy Argentine businessman – Julio Menditenguia – played Padel in Marbella. This was the catalyst for Padel in Argentina, which today has more than 10,000 Padel courts. Spain, where the sport is only second to football in terms of participants, has more than 20,000 courts.
The sport continued to boom and the first world championships, for men and women, were held in 1992 – and every subsequent two years since. So far the top titles for men and women have only been won by Argentina or Spain.
More recently, the Padel Pro Tour was established in 2005 and was rebranded as the Premier Padel Tour 2023. It features the top male and female players in the world competing in 25 tournaments in 18 countries. It hosts majors in Qatar, Italy, France (held at Roland Garros) and Mexico, plus lower-status tournaments with end-of-season finals for the top players in Barcelona.
There are also the FIP (International Padel Federation) tournaments, which, like tennis, have different tournament levels.
As for Padel personalities, the most famous and successful players are from the modern era all hail from Spain and Argentina. Arturo Coello, Ade Galan, and Juan Lebron are the leading Spanish trio along with Argentina’s Augustin Tapia. The world’s top 40 ranked men feature only two players, both from Brazil and from outside of these countries.
“In Britain, we have four British female players in the world’s top 150, with Aimee Gibson currently being ranked the highest at 122 on the FIP rankings. Christian Media Murphy heads up the British men with a current ranking of 118,” adds Flatman.
Flatman calls Padel “the fastest-growing sport in the world” and claims that the LTA and LTA Tennis Foundation have invested £6 million into 40 Padel facility projects across the UK, funding a total of 75 new courts.
“Alongside this, annual participation grew from 15,000 to 129,000,” she says, outlining the LTA’s aims to increase the number of annual UK Padel players from 129,000 to 400,000, and monthly players from 65,000 to 200,000.
The reason why we love it is because Padel is a fast-paced, social sport that's easy to pick up, but difficult to put down. “It can be played by anyone and everyone, no matter your age or ability,” says Flatman.
It doesn’t hurt that a number of high-profile celebrities including footballers including Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham, rappers like Stormzy, and tennis legends like Andy Murray have all lent public support to the sport.
Like tennis, Padel is a full-body workout that helps improve your endurance and cardiovascular health. It involves plenty of running, movement from side to side and quick changes of direction and will help you build your speed and strength. And, according to Flatman, one game can burn over 400 calories.
But, when it comes to experts, no one knows more about Padel’s health benefits than Professor Bernadino J Sanchez-Alcarez, from the faculty of Sport Sciences at the University of Murcia, and a Padel coach at PadelMBA.
“In 2022, ahead of the current boom in Padel, myself and a colleague – Javier Courel-Ibanez, undertook a study assessing the role of Padel in improving fitness,” he explains.
The study looked at four main areas: match-play demands; biomechanics; fitness, body composition and anthropometric characteristics; and injuries.
“One of the conclusions from the research was that participants in physical activity programs based on racket sports appear to have improved aerobic fitness, a lower fat percentage, a more favourable lipid profile, reduced risk for developing cardiovascular disease, and improved bone health,” explains Sanchez-Alcarez.
Based on their research, Sanchez-Alcarez and Courel-Ibanez also found that Padel has lower physiological demands when compared to other racket sports such as tennis, badminton, and squash – making it arguably the most accessible and therefore beneficial of the racket sports.
“Another study examined the fitness levels of professional and non-professional Padel players, reinforcing the notion that regular, high-level Padel practice induces healthy cardiovascular and strength adaptations,” adds Sanchez-Alcarez.
One more study, published in the journal Science and Sports found that women aged 35–55 years old who regularly played Padel had “better fitness conditioning, particularly in abdominal endurance,” than women of the same age who didn’t play the sport.
As well as the health benefits, the best part is you’ll only need a few essential items to get started with Padel.
1. The racket
“Padel rackets are perforated and solid, unlike tennis rackets, which means they’re easier to control,” says Kristian Hunter, the Padel Social Club, co-founder & CEO. “Our favourites are by Wilson.”
Padel rackets come in three different shapes: round, drop-shaped and diamond-shaped. Round bats offer the best control for beginners.
2. Good footwear
“You should wear a specific Padel shoe, or a clay tennis shoe, because the padel court has a sand-based surface; you want to have something that's going to give you the correct amount of grip, plus enough stability for your ankles,” explains Bawden. Adidas has a great range.
3. Clothing
“You’ll want to wear comfortable athletic gear that allows you to move freely and stylishly,” says Hunter. “Our favourite Padel gear is from Pulco Studios.”
4. The Padel ball
Padel balls are produced with the same materials as a tennis ball but are ever so slightly smaller and are less pressurised, meaning they aren’t as bouncy, making them easier to hit.
If you want to see players compete in the UK, McLaughlan recommends checking out the FIP tournament schedule.
There is the Hexagon Cup, which was launched in 2024 and features celebrity-backed teams fronted by the likes of Andy Murray, Eva Longoria, and Rafa Nadal.
Across the pond, there is the Pro Padel League (PPL), which features franchised teams from cities from across the United States.
The LTA’s YouTube channel is a great resource for British tournaments.
Fancy giving it a go?
There’s a great Padel court map on the LTA’s website to help you find your nearest courts, while the LTA Padel Competitions guide can help you find your community and take your skills to the next level.
“There are so many new clubs opening up across the UK, so keep an eye on social media as many promote themselves there,” adds Bawden. “Another option is to download the booking apps such as Playtomic.”
For Sanchez-Alcarez, the best bet is to book in with a Padel coach. “A coach will explain the regulations of the sport, the basic positions and movements on the court, and the right technique to improve your game faster, while helping you avoid the risk of injury,” he says.
Whatever your approach, get ready to unlock your new social and fitness obsession.
Words by Tom Ward
Get the scoop on exclusive offers and product launches.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. You can unsubscribe at any time. Huel Privacy Policy.
