What is this crazy sport?
Walls, net, wire mesh: Padel, a sport similar to tennis, is on the rise. There are already professionals, but fun is also guaranteed for beginners.
The highlights of the sport inspire millions of people.
Video: Titian Fürer (Tamedia)
The ball flies back and forth, bouncing off the wall, coming back onto the field before the player chases it through an opening in the boundary line. In this crazy mix of tennis and squash, the action is one after the other. The new trend sport, the highlights of which amaze millions of people on social media, is called padel. The sport is also becoming increasingly popular in Switzerland. But the question “What kind of sport is this?” is asked so often that it is even in the profile of the official Tiktok account of the padel world association. Here are some answers.
The genesis: The result of a dispute between neighbors
The Mexican Enrique Corcuera actually wanted to build a tennis court on his property in 1969, but didn’t have enough space. So he made a virtue out of necessity. He had a second wall built opposite the wall of the house so that the balls wouldn’t fly away. He later fenced off the sides of the field as well, as the neighbor complained that the balls often landed in his backyard.
So Corcuera had unwittingly created a new sport. Two of his friends carried it out into the world from Corcuera’s garden. One to Marbella in Spain, the other to Argentina. From there he conquered a large part of the Spanish-speaking countries and then spread first in the USA and later in Scandinavia.
The field: Neither tennis nor squash
Surrounded by fences and walls and with a little twist: the Padelfeld.
Photo: Patrick Martin (24 Hours)
At 20 meters long, the padel court is slightly shorter than a tennis court and at 10 meters wide, it is slightly narrower than the doubles court. The net hangs lower than in mother’s sport. The field is surrounded by a barrier, which, like in squash, consists of walls at the back and partly on the sides. The rest of the field is surrounded by chicken wire. There is an opening on both sides next to the ends of the net. This allows the players to leave the field. This also applies to the ball, which can also be hit over the fence.
Ball and Racket: Brand new sports equipment
No strings, but holes: A padel racket.
Photo: Keystone
The ball is a slightly softer tennis ball, which means it bounces less and is slower. The racquets are shorter and have no strings. The striking surface is made of perforated plastic.
The rules: Get out of the field!
The rules of the game of padel are based on those of tennis: the ball may only touch the ground once and only one player may hit it before it has to go over the net again. It is always played in doubles, and the scoring is the same as in tennis.
Unlike squash, the playing field does not end at the barrier. Players are allowed to hit the ball through the openings near the ends of the net or over the fence. As long as he jumps up first in the opposing field. The opponents must then try to get the ball back into the field. As with squash, the walls may also be involved. For example, the paddlers can hit the ball back over the net using a wall.
Prior knowledge: Not necessary
Padel can also be learned quickly for tennis and squash amateurs and is fun from the very first game. Of course, experience from tennis can help with technique or tactics, but these are by no means necessary. This is mainly due to the walls, which make the game more unpredictable and thus also represent a completely new element for tennis players. Therefore, newcomers are not so much at a disadvantage.
Padel in Switzerland: Increasingly popular
The sport is particularly widespread in western Switzerland, even if the first Swiss course was created in Unterengstringen ZH. Today there are many opportunities to play padel both around Lake Geneva and around Lake Neuchâtel. But there are also more and more places in and around Basel, Bern and Zurich. That’s on the Map of the Swiss Padel Association (Suipa), founded in 2006. 41 venues are registered there.
Tournaments are also held in Switzerland, and there is even a national player ranking. The tournaments take place primarily in western Switzerland. In addition, the padel association has also adapted the popular interclub system from tennis. A total of 38 teams compete against each other in four leagues.
Padel professionals: Spaniards and Argentines dominate
The world’s best practice the sport professionally. First and foremost the Spanish duos Alejandro Galan and Juan Lebron for men and Alejandra Salazar and Gemma Triay for women. Spaniards and Argentines dominate the world rankings. In the top 20 each, there is usually only one Brazilian and one French.
The prize money: the same for women and men
Under the world federation World Padel Tour, founded in Madrid in 2005, the sport grew significantly and gained popularity. More and more tournaments are held. Most of them are still in Spain, but the professionals are also fighting for victories in Amsterdam, Vienna, Brussels and Miami.
The popularity also has a noticeable effect on the prize money. Before the start of the 2022 padel season, the world association reported an increase in premiums at the major tournaments by 180 percent. Instead of 25,000 euros per event, the prize money will now total 70,000 euros. Unlike before, winners will also earn the same amount in the future.
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