When Did Padel Start?

The sport of padel originated in Mexico in the 1960s and has since gained popularity around the world. The game is played on a smaller court than traditional tennis - typically as doubles with four players in total divided into two pairs on either side of the net. Padel tennis combines elements of other racket sports, with the geometry of the court, net and balls being particularly reminiscent of tennis, while the walls are reminiscent of squash and platform tennis. 

How Did Padel Start?

The sport of padel was created by Enrique Corcuera, a Mexican businessman who built a 10 x 20 meter court in his holiday home in Acapulco, inspired by another related sport, platform tennis, which has roots even further back. This gave birth to the padel court, which is about 25 percent smaller than a tennis court. Enrique Corcuera named his version of the game "Paddle Corcuera" and he also introduced the use of padel rackets and padel balls, which are easier to handle than traditional tennis equipment, making the game more accessible to beginners. You can read much more about the differences between padel, paddle tennis and tennis here.

The History of Padel

From Enrique Corcuera's home in Mexico, padel spread via his Spanish friends to a tennis club in Marbella, where two padel courts were built. From here, padel began to spread among the upper classes in Marbella in the 1970s, and from the Spanish costa del sol the sport soon reached beyond Europe's borders to Argentina. Today, padel is extremely popular in Spain, where it is the second most popular sport after football. Moreover, padel is also a major sport in certain South American countries, where not least the aforementioned Argentina is a powerhouse with several players at the top of the world rankings in men's and women's padel. In addition, padel is available in certain parts of Asia and Africa in addition to a series of European countries where padel is one of the fastest growing sports.

Is Padel Difficult?

Padel is relatively easy to get into and easy to learn, but difficult to master, making the game both fun and attractive to players of all levels. It is a fast and dynamic sport that requires quick reflexes, good hand-eye coordination and strategic thinking. In addition, padel is a social sport and, as mentioned, is often played in doubles format, giving players the opportunity to interact and bond with their partners and opponents to a much greater extent than in singles sports. This is why padel is also used for networking or team building activities.

WPT: The Professional World Padel Tour

With the World Padel Tour, the sport also has a professional circuit that serves as padel's premier showcase. Here, the world's best padel players compete in World Padel Tour tournaments around the world, including Europe and South America.