A Short History of Padel: From Acapulco to Bangkok

It started with a wall

Quick take. Padel was invented by Enrique Corcuera at his home in Acapulco, Mexico, in 1969. Alfonso de Hohenlohe took it to Marbella in Spain in 1974, and it reached Argentina in 1975. An international federation followed in 1991, the first world championships in 1992, and a pro tour in 2005. Today Spain has over 20,000 courts and Argentina over 10,000.

The story goes that Corcuera wanted a game for his garden, which was too small for a tennis court. He put up walls, shortened the court and kept the net. Friends called it "Paddle Corcuera".

Spain and Argentina

In 1974 Alfonso de Hohenlohe, a friend of Corcuera, built two courts at the Marbella Club on Spain's Costa del Sol. Wealthy holidaymakers loved it. A year later Julio Menditenguia took the game to Argentina, where it boomed through the 1980s.

Becoming a sport

• 1991: the International Padel Federation is formed.
• 1992: the first world championships, in Madrid and Seville.
• 1993: Spain officially recognises padel as a sport, and the spelling "padel" is fixed.
• 2005: the Padel Pro Tour starts, renamed the World Padel Tour in 2013.

Today the top professional tour is Premier Padel; see our guide to watching it from Bangkok.

The numbers now

According to LTA Padel, Spain has around 6 million players and more than 20,000 courts, and Argentina more than 2 million licensed players and over 10,000 courts. Great Britain went from 51 courts to around 760 in just a few years, with more than 230,000 players by the end of 2024.

And Bangkok?

Bangkok's scene is much younger but growing fast: from a handful of clubs to many venues across the city, with new ones opening often. See our list of Bangkok padel clubs, the best clubs to try, and the latest tournaments.

Part of the next chapter? Join the Bangkok Padel Community on Facebook.

Sources

• History of padel (LTA Padel)