What Is Padel? The Sport Explained in Five Minutes
What is padel?
Quick answer. Padel is a racket sport for four players, two against two, on a court smaller than a tennis court and enclosed by glass walls and mesh. You use a solid racket with holes and a low-pressure ball like a tennis ball, serve underhand, and can play the ball off the walls. Scoring is the same as tennis.
Padel was invented in Mexico in 1969 and grew up in Spain and Argentina. It is now one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, and Bangkok has gone from a handful of courts to more than 15 clubs in a few years. In Thai it is written พาเดล or ปาเดล, and you will also hear "padel tennis".
The court and the gear
- Court: 20 m by 10 m, with a net across the middle and walls at both ends and partly along the sides. See court size explained.
- Racket: solid, with no strings and holes in the face, about 360 g. Clubs rent them.
- Ball: looks like a tennis ball but has a little less pressure.
- Shoes: any sports shoes with a non-marking sole are fine for your first games.
How a point works
- Serve underhand: bounce the ball and hit it below waist height, diagonally into the box opposite.
- Your shot must bounce on the ground on the other side before it touches a wall.
- After that bounce the ball can come off the glass, and the other side can still play it.
- You can volley the ball before it bounces, except when returning a serve.
- The point ends when the ball bounces twice, goes out, or a shot hits a wall or the mesh before bouncing on the other side.
Scoring
Padel uses tennis scoring: 15, 30, 40, game, and six games for a set, usually best of three sets. Many social games in Bangkok play a "golden point" at 40-40, and the pro tour now uses the Star Point. The serve rules and the wall rules have their own guides.
Why people love it
It is easy to start: most people are rallying in their first hour, because the court is small and the walls keep the ball in play. It is always doubles, so it is social. And it is gentler on the body than squash or singles tennis.
How to start in Bangkok
Book a court for four in a club's app (the whole court costs about 800 to 1,800 THB an hour, see prices), take a first lesson (see coaching), or join a beginner Americano. Our Start here guide walks you through it step by step.
Frequently asked questions
Is padel the same as tennis?
No. Padel uses tennis scoring, but the court is smaller and enclosed by walls, the racket has no strings, the serve is underhand and the ball can be played off the walls. It is almost always played in pairs.
Is padel hard to learn?
No. Most beginners can rally in their first session. Reading the ball off the walls takes a few games, which is where a first lesson helps.
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