The Power of Padel

The Power of Padel!

How the world’s fastest growing sport is taking the UAE by storm!

You would have to have been sitting under a rock, to have not noticed the popularity of padel this year.  The United Arab Emirates has been identified as one of the countries where padel is growing the fastest.  At Active Mile this is no surprise to us.  The sport is fast, fun, and a great way to get active with friends. 

So, where did Padel come from, and why is it so popular? 

There are a couple of theories as to the origin of the sport. With some stating that padel began on British cruise ships in the 1920s, and others suggesting that it began in Spain and Latin America. However, it wasn’t until 1974 that padel began being played as a sport with rules to follow.  Enrique Corcuera is credited with developing the sport, where it is said that he built walls around his garden when playing tennis, to stop the ball from going into the neighbours garden.  He realised there was something in using the walls as part of the game and thus Padel was invented. 

Padel is a fast paced, fun game, which could be described as a cross between tennis and squash. Part of its popularity in the UAE is that it is suitable for all ages and levels, and is fairly easy to learn. Unlike tennis, it isn’t reliable on your strength or serving skills, rather you focus on strategy and team work with your partner. 

TV presenter Kate Overy says “It’s a sport that’s very easy to play but hard to master. Tennis can get technical, but with padel you have that racquet and you just have to hit the ball. But hitting the ball in a certain way — calculating the rebounds — is another thing.”

Another of its more appealing traits is that players don’t need a huge amount of equipment to begin to play.  Simply a partner, a padel each, and a ball!  Usually played in doubles, due to the size of the court, simply pick up your padel, book in your opponents, and play!  

Did you know a padel bat comes in three different shapes? Round, drop shaped and diamond shaped.

Playing the game

The court is enclosed by walls, which are used as part of the game, like squash. The court is one third of the size of a tennis court. The ball can bounce on any wall, but can only hit the floor once, before being returned to your opponents. The ball can bounce on the floor, or the surrounding walls/glass, so shots can be played off them, like in squash, before being returned.

Did you know a Padel serve is served underarm?

Padel Points

The scoring is similar to tennis. Whenever a point is scored the points are awarded 15, 30 and 40.  A 40-40 tie (deuce) also follows the same pattern as tennis, a rally where one player must win by 2 clear points.  A set is won when a team wins six games, and there is at least a two-game difference.  Matches are the best of three sets. As well as serving underarm, the ball should be bounced on the ground, before being hit across the net to the opponents.  You score points if: 

The ball bounces on the ground twice on the opponent’s side

The opponent hits the ball outside the play area (outside of the cage or against one of your walls)

An opponent is hit by the ball

The opponent hits the ball into the net

The opponent hits the ball into their own grid

Padel in the UAE

As padel continues to grow in the UAE, identified as one of the most popular places for padel, along with Spain, Argentina, France and the Netherlands. Thanks to the full backing of HH Sheikh Hamden Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.  The crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council, in June 2019 the UAE Sports Ministry decree officially recognized Padel as a sport. 

If you’re interested in learning to play padel, there are many places to choose from.  Active Mile is suggesting Padel Pro, RRA Padel Dubai and Point, but with no sign of this sport slowing down, you’re likely to find a padel court within walking distance of your home.

Padel Pro UAE : [email protected]

RRA Padel Dubai : [email protected] 

Padel Point al Quoz : [email protected]

We would love to see your padel action shots, send in your padel selfies to @activemile and use the #padelpower to be featured on our social media platforms.