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Padel
Racket sport / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Padel (Spanish: pádel), also sometimes called padel tennis, is a racket sport of Mexican origin, typically played in doubles on an enclosed court slightly smaller than a doubles tennis court.[1][2] Although padel shares the same scoring system as tennis, the rules, strokes, and technique are different. The balls used are similar but with a little less pressure. The main differences are that the court has walls and the balls can be played off them in a similar way as in the game of squash and that solid, stringless bats are used. The height of the ball being served must be at or below the waist level.
![]() Padel players on outdoor padel courts | |
Highest governing body | International Padel Federation (FIP) |
---|---|
Nicknames | Paddle (US, Canada) |
First played | 1969, Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico |
Characteristics | |
Contact | No |
Team members | Usually doubles |
Mixed-sex | Separate competitions (mixed sometimes in leagues) |
Type | Racquet sport |
Equipment | Padel racquet, padel ball |
Venue | Outdoor or indoor padel court |
Presence | |
Country or region | Worldwide |
Olympic | No |
Paralympic | No |
As of 2023, according to the International Padel Federation (FIP) there are more than 25 million active players in more than 90 countries.[lower-alpha 1][4] Padel is worth about €2bn a year and growing fast.[5]