What is padel?
A fast-growing racquet sport that blends tennis and squash — played in doubles, on an enclosed glass court, with solid rackets and walls that are part of the game.
Padel is a racquet sport played almost always in doubles on an enclosed court measuring 20 metres by 10 metres, surrounded by glass and metal-mesh walls that are in play. Players use solid, stringless perforated rackets and an underhand serve, and the scoring follows the same 15/30/40/game format as tennis. Because the walls keep the ball alive, points last longer and the sport is easy to pick up but rich in strategy.
Key takeaways
- Padel is a distinct sport — not pickleball and not paddle tennis.
- It is played on an enclosed 20 m x 10 m court where the walls are in play.
- Rackets are solid and stringless; the serve is underhand and bounces first.
- Scoring mirrors tennis, and the game is almost always doubles.
- The gentle learning curve is a big reason for its rapid global growth.
How padel works
Padel is played by four people on a court about a third the size of a tennis court, divided by a net. What makes it unusual is the enclosure: glass panels and metal mesh form walls around the court, and — as with squash — the ball can rebound off your own back glass and stay live. That single rule changes everything. Instead of a point ending when the ball passes you, you can turn, let it come off the wall, and play it back. Rallies are longer, positioning matters more than raw power, and beginners spend far less time chasing dead balls. That same glass-and-steel enclosure is also the main reason padel courts are relatively expensive to build — see how much it costs to build a padel court if you are curious. It also works surprisingly well as exercise — the short sprints and constant direction changes add up faster than the social atmosphere suggests; see how many calories does padel burn for a realistic breakdown.
The serve is underhand: you bounce the ball once and strike it below waist height into the diagonal service box. There are no blistering aces, which keeps the emphasis on rallies. For the full rundown, see our guide to padel rules and how scoring works.
What you play with
A padel racket is solid and stringless, with a perforated hitting surface and a wrist strap for safety. Rackets come in three broad shapes — round, teardrop and diamond — that trade control for power. The ball looks like a tennis ball but is a touch lower in pressure. If you are gearing up, start with what equipment you need and browse our racket reviews.
How padel compares to sports you know
If you already play tennis, padel will feel familiar in scoring but very different in touch — see padel vs tennis. If you have tried pickleball, the two are often confused but are genuinely different games; our padel vs pickleball comparison lays out exactly how.
Where padel came from
Padel is younger than either of those sports as an organized game: it was invented in 1969 in a single backyard in Acapulco, Mexico, and only spread internationally through Spain and Argentina in the decades that followed. See the full history of padel for how a space-constrained tennis court turned into a sport played on more than 58,000 courts worldwide.
FAQs
Is padel the same as paddle tennis or pickleball?
No. Padel is a distinct sport played on a 20 m by 10 m enclosed court with glass walls that are in play, using solid stringless rackets. Pickleball and platform/paddle tennis are separate sports with different courts, equipment and rules.
Do you need to be athletic to play padel?
Not to start. Padel has a gentle learning curve because the underhand serve and the enclosing walls keep rallies going, so beginners can enjoy real points on their first visit.
Is padel usually played in singles or doubles?
Padel is almost always played in doubles, on a court sized and walled for four players. Singles is possible on a narrower dedicated court but is rare.
Last updated August 12, 2026 · PadelAnywhere Editorial
Sources
This explainer is based on the official rules of play published by international and national padel federations, together with published manufacturer specifications for padel rackets and balls.