Padel is a racquet sport played in doubles on an enclosed court about a third the size of a tennis court. It uses a solid, stringless racquet and a ball much like a tennis ball with slightly less pressure. The part that surprises everyone is the walls: the glass is in play, so a ball that gets past you is often still alive.
It is the fastest-growing racquet sport in the world, and Australia has caught up quickly. Courts have opened right across Sydney over the past few years, and most weeknight slots at the bigger venues are booked out well in advance.
The court
A padel court is 20 metres long and 10 metres wide, enclosed by glass and mesh, with a net across the middle at 88 centimetres in the centre. Because the court is small and shared between four players, you are never far from the ball, and the rallies are much longer than they would be in tennis.
Indoors, none of the usual Sydney interruptions apply. No wind pushing lobs around, no glare off a hot court in January, no session called off because of rain.
How a game works
Scoring is the same as tennis. 15, 30, 40, game, six games to a set. The differences are in how points are played:
- The serve is underarm. You bounce the ball behind the service line and hit it below waist height, which means nobody is beaten by a 200km/h serve on day one.
- The ball may bounce off the walls and stay in play. Learning to let a ball come off the back glass and take it on the rebound is the single biggest step up for a new player.
- The ball must bounce on the floor before it touches a wall. A shot straight into the glass on the full is out.
- Padel is played as doubles. Two a side, four on court.
Why beginners pick it up so fast
In tennis, a new player spends the first few sessions chasing balls into the fence. In padel, the fence sends the ball back. The enclosed court and the slower ball mean rallies actually happen in your first game, which is the reason people who have never held a racquet tend to leave wanting another booking.
Technique matters less at the start, too. The racquet is short and solid with no strings to time, so there is less to go wrong. Placement beats power almost every time, which levels the field between a fit twenty-year-old and someone who has not played sport in a decade.
What you need to bring
Normal trainers with a flat sole, and clothes you can move in. That is it. Racquets and balls can be hired at most venues, including ours, so there is no reason to buy gear before you know you like it.
How many people do you need
Four is ideal because padel is a doubles game. Two works perfectly well for a casual hit or for practising, and at a private venue the court hire price is the same either way, so a pair is not paying a penalty for turning up short.
Most first-timers are having real rallies inside ten minutes.
Playing in Sydney
Most Sydney venues run several courts in one large room and book them out by the hour, so you play alongside three or four other games at once. That is fine, and it is how the sport grew. It is also loud, and it means anyone learning is doing it in front of strangers.
Padel 88 is a private indoor court in Prestons, in the Liverpool area of south-west Sydney. Every booking gives your group the whole court to itself, and bookings go through the Playtomic app.