Padel Tennis – Grassroots news from the UK and beyond …

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other word would smell as sweet."

Shakespeare may have been right when it comes to falling in love but unfortunately when were talking about the naming of a relatively new sport things are not quite so simple….There is certainly confusion surrounding the appropriate name for the sport of padel/paddle and this can be quite an obstacle when trying to explain to those who've not heard of it before just what it is exactly.

Internationally the sport we are referring to here is known simply as "Padel", a reflection of the fact that for the past 30 years or so the sport has primarily been based in Spanish speaking countries. If we start to use the name "Paddle" or "Paddle Tennis" in the English-speaking world when we are in fact referring to Padel we enter into a confusing situation because "Paddle Tennis" is actually a distinct sport in its own right…..

Paddle Tennis was invented by Frank Beal in the 1898 and is still played today, principally in New York and California in the USA. The rules of Paddle Tennis are practically the same as lawn tennis but the court is reduced to about half the size of a standard tennis court and the racquets used are paddles made of wood. The ball is effectively a punctured tennis ball (it used to be a sponge rubber ball). Padel however, is a quite different game – for starters the courts are enclosed by walls and the balls can be returned after rebounding from a wall in a a similar fashion to squash.

When the individuals behind what is now known as The Padel Federation (United Kingdom) were looking to establish the official federation for sport in this country, they sought the advice of the sports world governing body – the FIP, on what the sport should officially be called. The conclusion: PADEL.

So there it is – you will continue to find some variations, for example the Canadians have opted for using the name "Paddle", but as for us here in the UK, until we hear otherwise we'll be adopting the offically recognised name of Padel. Phew….I hope that clears up some of the confusion, at least for now!