WELCOME TO LIFE ON PADEL

Here's everything you need to know to never look back.

PADEL IS

the fastest-growing participation sport in the world
An action packed mix of squash and tennis
Played off the walls in a glass caged court
A gender and age inclusive sport played in doubles

WHAT IS A1 PADEL?

A1 PADEL is an international Padel tour founded in 2020 by Fabrice Pastor with the goal of expanding the sport's awareness and accessibility.

In 2023, the tour will travel to 18 cities, 13 countries, and four continents, including the first-ever stops in the U.S.

Padel 101

Enrique Corcuera built a court at his home in Acapulco, Mexico in the late 1960s to play a racquet-based ball game. However, due to property constraints, the court was slightly smaller than a tennis court. Corcuera soon realized that if tennis balls were overhit, they would fly out of the court and land in neighboring houses. To prevent this, he surrounded the court with walls on all sides.
Padel is played in doubles teams, and the teams with single-elimination matches depending on tournament level. Matches are won in a best-of-three set format. To win a set, a team must win six games. Games are scored with a “Golden Point," with the winner of any 40-40 points winning the game. In a set tied at 6-6, a tie break is won by the first pair to reach seven points. If the tie break reaches 6-all, it must be decided by a two-point margin.

Like Tennis? You'll LOVE Padel

Padel and tennis are two well-known racket sports, with a similar format and similar equipment.

To a new padel player, the two sports may appear similar, but they have significant differences.

Padel balls are slightly smaller and less pressurized than tennis balls, but they are often confused because of their similar appearance.

Padel courts are usually smaller than traditional tennis courts, with dimensions of 20 meters in length and 10 meters in width.

The court is surrounded by glass walls and metal fencing, allowing players to use the walls to their advantage.

Padel rackets have a shorter handle and no strings. They're made of foam core, carbon fiber or fiberglass, which can make it harder to generate spin and slice on the ball.

Padel Terms to Know

Puntako- The best point of the match, or the highlight of the point

Golden Point- When the score is 40-40 and the next point wins, this is the Golden Point

Starting the Point- Each serve must be underhand, and can have one fault

Set Point- The deciding point of a set is called the set point

Break Point- The next point scored by the non-serving team wins the game

Scoring- Padel uses a scoring system similar to tennis; starting at love (0), and going up by increments (15-30-40)