Padel: the ultimate guide to the world's fastest-growing racket sport

Looking for a new sport to get into? One that’s fun, social, and a great workout, but isn't as demanding as tennis? We highly recommend padel! This racket sport has exploded in popularity, blending elements of tennis and squash into a fast-paced, addictive game. With its emphasis on group play in sociable, welcoming clubs and the relative ease of getting started, padel has taken the world by storm. It's quite the journey, from the sport's roots in Mexico to its current global boom.

Dig into our ultimate padel guide to find out more!

Padel's history is a fascinating mix of innovation and lucky coincidences. We can trace the game's origins back to a British cruise ship in the 1910s. Because of the constrained deck space, passengers played a simplified form of tennis with smaller, solid paddles. But the birth of modern padel was in 1960s Mexico, thanks to Enrique Corcuera. He wanted a tennis court for his home but didn't have enough space, so he created a smaller court enclosed by walls. This prevented lost balls and created a brand-new game he called 'Paddle Corcuera.'

In 1974, Corcuera's friend, Spanish prince Alfonso de Hohenlohe, joined a game of padel and fell in love with it. He built the first two padel courts in Spain at the Marbella Club on the Costa del Sol. The accessible nature of padel and its sociable approach made it a huge hit with Spain’s elite. The rest of the population took notice and adopted the sport, which soon spread throughout the country.

Spain is now considered the global headquarters of padel, with over 20,000 courts and more than six million players. In Spain, padel is the second most popular sport after football.

In 1975, an Argentine millionaire, Julio Menditenguia, discovered the sport in Marbella and introduced it to his home country, where it also became massively popular. The sport's rapid expansion led to the formation of the International Padel Federation in 1991. The name of the sport was officially changed from 'Paddle' to 'Padel' by the Spanish Sports Council in 1993. This reflects its Spanish pronunciation, with the emphasis on the first syllable - 'pah-del' - although in English speaking countries, we still tend to pronounce it 'paddle.'

Padel is played on a court about a quarter of the size of a tennis court, enclosed by glass and wire mesh walls. A few courts are designed for singles, but the vast majority of padel courts around the world are for doubles. You play padel with solid, stringless rackets with holes in them, hitting a lower-pressure ball that looks very similar to a tennis ball, but doesn't bounce as high. Shots can bounce off the walls as well as the court surface, a bit like in the enclosed court games of squash or racketball.

The scoring system is the same as tennis: 0, 15, 30, 40, game. A set is won when a team wins six games with a two-game difference, and matches are usually best of three sets.

• Serving: The serve must be underarm. The server must bounce the ball on the ground first before hitting it below or at waist height. You have a first and a second serve, just like in tennis.
• Rallying: Once the ball is in play, it can be hit off the walls, like in squash. The ball must always hit the ground on your side of the court before hitting a wall. You can then let it bounce off the wall once more before returning it over the net. This extra dimension is what makes padel so strategic and exciting, encouraging long rallies and impressive shot-making.

You may be new to padel, but you're probably familiar with the long-established sport of tennis, whether as a player or a spectator! There are plenty of similarities, but also some key differences:

• Court: A padel court is smaller and fully enclosed by walls, which are a key part of the game.
• Racket and ball: Padel rackets are solid and stringless, with a shorter handle. Padel balls are slightly smaller and pressurised so they bounce lower than tennis balls.
• Serve: Padel serves are underarm - easier to execute than the overarm tennis serve. That means games are not dominated by big servers and first returns - padel rallies are usually longer and the game is more enjoyable and accessible for newer players.
• Gameplay: Padel involves less running and relies more on strategic positioning and teamwork within the smaller, enclosed court. Playing off the walls creates longer rallies and a more cooperative game.

These differences make padel incredibly accessible. You don't need years of practice and a killer serve to play a good game, which is a major reason for its rapid growth.

Padel's popularity has soared far beyond its initial homes of Spain and Argentina. The sport is also booming in countries like Sweden, Italy and the Middle East. In the UK, the sport has seen explosive growth. The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) now oversees British padel and the number of courts has rapidly increased. According to the LTA, in July 2025 there were over 1,000 courts in the UK, situated in at least 325 venues. To put the growth in context, in 2019 there were a mere 68 courts. We have some catching up to do: the International Padel Federation (IPF) counted over 17,000 courts in Spain, serving a population of almost 20 million fewer people!

Padel combines several fabulously addictive characteristics (and we should know - we're totally hooked!):

• Sociable and fun: Padel is a four-person game, so it's a great way to socialise, meet new players and spend time with friends or family
• Accessible: The underarm serve and smaller court make it easy for players of all ages and abilities to pick up the game and have a fun rally from the very first session
• Fitness: Padel is a good cardio workout without the intense physical demands of sports like tennis, which covers much more distance
• Community: The social nature of the sport has fostered a strong sense of community, with players often gathering for coffee or a drink after a match in clubs that have been designed for a connected generation of players.

The World Padel Tour (WPT) was the main professional circuit for years, but in 2022, a new tour, Premier Padel, was launched, backed by the International Padel Federation (FIP) and Qatar Sports Investments. These two tours are merging, to create a unified and even more global professional circuit. We expect this will bring the sport to new audiences around the world.

Top male players like Alejandro Galán and Juan Lebrón, along with female stars such as Ariana Sánchez and Paula Josemaría, have become household names among fans, showcasing the highest level of skill, athleticism, and strategic play. Catch a pro match on a sports channel or have a look on YouTube: it's really exciting to watch as well as play due to the fast pace, teamwork and incredible variety of shots in many rallies.

Padel has come of age in the digital era, which is another reason it's accessible and popular. You can find a court and a game through padel-specific apps like Playtomic, Padel Mates and Matchi. All of these allow you to enter your location and find courts and clubs near you. Some local clubs or centres may also have their own booking systems. For a comprehensive list of UK courts, you can also check out The Padel Directory.

Once you’ve found a club, you can book a court for 60 or 90 minutes. A great way for beginners to get started is by joining group mix-in sessions, known as 'americanos' or 'americano tournaments'. These are often longer sessions that allow you to play with and meet a variety of people. They’re a great way to socialise with a coffee or a beer afterwards.

You can either book an entire court and invite your friends, or you can join an 'open game' where you can book a single spot. Don’t worry if a game is listed as 'competitive' - you can often change it to 'casual' or 'friendly.'

Most apps use a rating system. When you first sign up, you'll be asked for a rough estimate of your level. The more you play, the more stable and accurate your rating becomes.

• LTA ratings: The LTA has a rating system from 1 to 6. Grades 1 and 2 are for the top UK players, while grades 3, 4, and 5 are for amateur players working on their skills and entering tournaments. Grade 6 is the entry level for tournaments
• Playtomic ratings: Playtomic uses a more detailed scale. A rating of less than 1 is for those with no experience, while a rating between 1 and 1.49 is for beginners. The scale goes up to 5.4, which is considered a competition level. It's often a good idea to join a game with people at a similar rating, though you can challenge yourself by playing with people who have a slightly higher rating.

A great way to get an accurate rating is to book a levelling session with a coach at a Playtomic-registered club. These sessions will give you a professional assessment of your level, so you can join games with confidence.

In our humble opinion, padel is way more than just a sport. It's a social activity, a community and a fantastic way to stay active. The fairly simple rules and engaging gameplay make it accessible to everyone, from complete beginners to seasoned athletes.

Whether you’re looking for a new pastime, a fun way to exercise, or a way to burn off your competitive streak, you’ll find it all on the padel court. Go on, find a local club or venue using one of the apps and find out for yourself why everyone - from David Beckham and Serena Williams to Eva Longoria and Lando Norris - is playing this incredible sport.

And naturally, when you need to get kitted out for your new hobby (or obsession!) we have all the padel rackets, padel balls, padel bags, padel accessories and padel shoes you'll need as you progress.

For tips on how to choose a padel racket, check out our easy-read guide.

Or try our guide to the best padel rackets under £100.