What Is Padel Tennis? The Sport Explained for Tennis Players
Contents
Padel (often called padel tennis in the UK) is a racket sport played in pairs on an enclosed court about a third the area of a tennis court. You score like tennis, serve underarm, and can play the ball off the glass walls.
Padel vs tennis at a glance
| Padel | Tennis | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Doubles | Singles or doubles |
| Court | 10 × 20 m, enclosed | 23.77 m long; 8.23 / 10.97 m wide; open |
| Walls | In play | None |
| Serve | Underarm, bounced, at or below waist height | Usually overarm |
| Racket | Solid, perforated, no strings; max 45.5 cm | Strung; max 73.7 cm |
| Ball | 6.35–6.77 cm | 6.54–6.86 cm (Type 2) |
| Scoring | Tennis scoring, plus golden point / star point options | Advantage or no-ad, depending on competition |
| UK governing body | LTA (recognised for padel 13 Nov 2020) | LTA |
New to it? Follow our how to play padel guide, or compare it with pickleball.
Details: padel court dimensions, rules, balls, rackets.
What tennis players need to relearn
- Let the ball come off the glass. Chasing balls before they reach the wall is the classic tennis habit.
- Shorter swings. Under the FIP rules a padel racket is 45.5 cm at most, and the walls punish long backswings.
- Net position wins. The pair holding the net usually controls the point, and the lob is the main way to take it back.
- Overheads are tactical. Many smashes are played to keep position, not to finish the point.
For coaches running tennis-to-padel sessions: build the first session around (1) the underarm serve and move to the net, (2) back-glass returns, feeding balls into the glass and letting them come back, and (3) lob-and-recover. Scoring can wait. Use our scorer with golden point switched on for quicker games.
Frequently asked questions
Is padel the same as padel tennis?
Yes. “Padel tennis” is a common UK name for padel. In Britain the LTA governs padel as a discipline of tennis.
What is the difference between padel and tennis?
Padel is played as doubles on a smaller 10 × 20 m enclosed court, with walls in play, an underarm serve and solid stringless rackets. Scoring is the same as tennis, with extra golden point and star point options.
Is padel easier than tennis?
It’s usually quicker to start rallying, thanks to the smaller court, underarm serve and walls that keep the ball in play. Playing it well takes its own tactics and wall skills.