Padel explainer: How to play the sport and rules of the court
What happens when you combine a green neon ball, a racket and an enclosed court with metal mesh walls? You get the fastest growing sport on the planet - padel.
Viewed as the more accessible cousin to tennis, padel has soared in popularity in recent years. The sport has an estimated 25 million players worldwide, according to Pro:Direct.
In the UK alone, LTA Padel reported that over 400,000 adults and juniors played the sport at least once last year.
Awareness of padel reached approximately 23 million people in the first three months of 2025, almost a 50% increase from last year.
Celebrity fans
Celebrities such as Tom Holland, Stormzy and even tennis legends like Rafael Nadal have expressed their love for the sport, adding to its growing popularity.
So for all the other millions who haven’t caught on to the trend, Sports News Blitz writer Vanely Barumire goes through all the rules you need to know…
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Rules of the court
The rules of the sport are similar to its more established counterpart.
Matches are played on a court similar to tennis, with a net separating the two sides, and the ball only being allowed to bounce before being returned.
Differences in the rules have made the sport more accessible to millions of participants who cannot afford a tennis club membership or the coaching lessons needed to learn tennis.
Smaller and easier to move around, a padel court is 10 metres by 20 metres and has glass on the back of both sides of the court, which can be used during a match.
Similar to how the ball has to bounce once on the grass before being hit, the glass acts as an extension of the court.
A padel ball can bounce off the glass and then onto the court once before being hit.
At the double
Padel is always played as doubles. The person serving hits the ball from the rectangular box in the back corner, and the ball has to bounce below waist height for an accurate serve.
Once the ball is served, scoring is the same as in tennis.
If the ball bounces twice, is hit outside the court, or if the net is touched on the new return, that is out.
And, if you are wondering who decides what is officially in or out during a match - it’s you.
No umpire
Unlike tennis, padel has no umpire and games, even in competitions, are self-refereed.
Padel is an ever-growing sport among athletes, newcomers to sports, fitness enthusiasts and anyone looking for something fun to do on weekend mornings.
The sport is seeing a surge in popularity that is both understated and encouraged.
Padel is here to stay, and it’s time more people give it a try.
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