Padel Tennis – Grassroots news from the UK and beyond …

Just like tennis, padel is played on a variety of surfaces but increasingly as more money is invested in sports facilities nowadays it is rare to find concrete playing surfaces – you are much more likely to find artificial surfaces such as the one shown below, which is one of the public courts in the Retiro park, Madrid.

The main difference between the two types of surfaces is obviously that concrete surfaces are much harder which will effect both the speed (quicker) and bounce (higher) of the ball. In padel this means that the points are likely to be shorter on a fast surface like concrete and it is easier to return the ball from the wall.

Synthetic surfaces or ‘artificial turf’ are softer and so the difference is felt not just in the movement of the ball but also in the pressure and load that is exerted on the body, in particular the knees, ankles and back.

Another important feature which is more likely to be relevant to outdoor padel courts in the UK than in countries around the mediteranean with milder climates, is that after rain an artificial surface containing sand will give the player better grip underfoot, reducing the chances of a fall. (But remember if you do fall this is likely to result in quite a painfall graze on the hands or knees!).