Padel Tennis is a racquet sport which is played in doubles only. It combines elements of tennis, squash, and badminton, and can be played indoors or outdoors.
The Padel Tennis Court
- The court measures 10 meters x 20 meters (33 feet x 66 feet).
- It is enclosed by clear glass walls and wire mesh fencing.
- Court is divided in two sides by a net, with two open doorways, one on each end of the net to provide access to the court.
Scoring
- Scoring in padel tennis is the same as in tennis: 15-0, 30-0, 40-0, advantage, deuce, etc
- Six games are needed to win a set and the team which wins two sets wins the tournament.
- If a set reaches a 6-6 draw, there is a 7 point tie-breaker as in tennis.
Service
- All serves are underhanded, and made diagonally as in tennis, with two attempts allowed.
- The ball must bounce in the service box opposite before being hit by the returner.
- If the ball hits the net and bounces in the box, it is a let.
- If the ball does not bounce in the box, it is a fault.
- If it bounces in the box and hits the wire mesh fencing before crossing the service line (on the returner’s side), it is also a fault.
Play
- Once in play, the ball must first bounce on the ground on the opponent’s side before hitting a wall.
- Just as in tennis, the ball must be hit back to the opponent’s side before a second bounce, but players can also use their own walls to return the ball.
- Players may hit the ball after it has bounced on a wall to send it back to the opponent’s side.
- Players are allowed to volley (hit a ball before it bounces on their side of the court).
Equipment
- Padel tennis racquets are smaller and easier to handle than tennis racquets: they are solid (with no strings) but perforated.
- Padel tennis balls are the same as tennis balls, but are inflated with less pressure due to the smaller size of the court.