What is padel?
The world's fastest-growing racket sport is easy to pick up and hard to put down. Here's everything you need for your first game.
Born in Mexico in 1969, padel found its feet in Argentina, its spiritual home in Spain, and has since taken the world by storm.
From Europe and the UK to the Middle East and beyond, the sport has exploded in popularity throughout the 2020s — and America is catching on.
Think doubles tennis on a smaller, enclosed court, with glass walls you can play off and an underhand serve.
It’s social by design: four players, long rallies, plenty of laughs, and a game that’s easy to pick up but hard to put down. Whether you’re coming from tennis, squash, pickleball, or starting from scratch, there’s a place for you on court.
Padel? Paddle? Pa-del? We’ve heard them all!
Around the world, it’s pronounced “paddle.” At Pop’s, we’re more interested in how you play it than how you say it.
Twenty by ten, and every wall counts.
A padel court is 20 × 10 metres (about 66 × 33 feet), enclosed by glass back walls and glass-and-mesh side walls. The net splits it in half, and service lines sit 6.95 m from the net on each side.
- 4+1Panoramic courts at Pop'sFour doubles courts and one singles court, with frameless glass for unobstructed play and viewing.
- 40′Of ceiling at the highest pointAbout twice the 6 m minimum set by the International Padel Federation.
- 4Players per courtTwo-on-two on the doubles courts. The singles court is for two.
Six rules to start playing today.
1 · Serve underhand
Bounce the ball behind the service line and hit it at or below waist height, diagonally into your opponents' service box.
2 · Two chances
Like tennis, you get a second serve. A serve that bounces in the box and then hits the mesh fence is a fault.
3 · Ground first
Your shot must land on the ground on the other side before touching any wall. Hitting their glass directly loses the point.
4 · Glass is your friend
After the ball bounces on your side, you can let it come off the glass and play it back. That's where the magic happens.
5 · Volley anywhere
There's no kitchen. Except on the return of serve, you can volley from anywhere on the court.
6 · Tennis scoring
15, 30, 40, game. Six games win a set, best of three. Social games often play a "golden point" at deuce; pro and USA Padel events now use the new "star point".
Not pickleball. Not tennis. Padel.
More accessible than tennis, more cardio than pickleball, padel is the sweet spot between. As Pepe likes to say: no kitchen, walls in play and an underhand serve.
| Padel | Pickleball | Tennis | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Court | 20 × 10 m, enclosed by glass and mesh | 44 × 20 ft, open court | 78 × 36 ft (doubles), open court |
| Walls | In play: the ball can bounce off the glass | None | None |
| Serve | Underhand, after a bounce, at or below the waist | Underhand | Overhand |
| Non-volley zone | None: volley anywhere | 7-ft kitchen | None |
| Racket & ball | Solid, perforated stringless racket; pressurized ball | Flat paddle; plastic wiffle ball | Strung racket; pressurized ball |
| Scoring | 15-30-40, sets to six | Games to 11, win by 2 | 15-30-40, sets to six |
| Format | Almost always doubles | Singles or doubles | Singles or doubles |
What to wear & bring.
- ShoesPadel or clay-court tennis shoes grip best on turf. Running shoes work for a first session.
- ClothesComfortable athletic wear. No dress code beyond court shoes.
- RacketBring yours, or ask at the front desk: rackets are always available to rent. Balls and grips are in the pro shop.
- ArriveTen minutes early to check in, warm up and meet your three.
A pocket glossary.
Padel grew up in Spain and Argentina, so some of the best shot names are in Spanish.
- Bandeja "tray"
- A controlled, sliced overhead from mid-court that keeps you in the net position.
- Víbora "viper"
- An aggressive sliced overhead with sidespin that skids low off the glass.
- Chiquita
- A soft, low shot to the feet of players at the net, to win the net back.
- Globo "lob"
- A high, deep lob over the net players. Padel's most important shot.
- Bajada
- An attacking shot taken after the ball comes off the back glass.
- Contrapared
- Hitting the ball into your own back wall so it rebounds over the net. A last resort.
- Por tres "x3"
- A smash hit so hard it bounces out of the court over the walls.
- Golden point
- A single deciding point at deuce. The receiving team chooses the side.
- Star point
- The 2026 pro scoring rule: up to two advantages at deuce, then one deciding point.
- Americano
- A social format where you rotate partners every round and tally your own points.
- Drive & revés
- The right (drive) and left (revés) sides of the court in doubles.
- Panoramic court
- A court with frameless glass for an unobstructed view, like every court at Pop's.
- Open match
- Lets you join a game with other players or start your own, making it easy to meet new people, find playing partners, and get on court.
- Mexicano
- Like an Americano, but partners and opponents are paired by the running score.
First-timer questions.
Do I need to play tennis first?
How long until I can actually play?
I don't have three friends who play. Can I still join?
Is padel good exercise?
Is it suitable for kids and older players?
Don’t let the pros on YouTube intimidate you! Much like pickleball, padel is a sport for all ages and abilities. Enjoyed by generations of players around the world, its social nature and accessibility make it just as appealing to young beginners as it is to older players looking to stay active.
At Pop’s, we’re especially excited to work with local schools, develop junior programs and age-based divisions, and help nurture the first generation of American padel players. Stay tuned — there’s plenty more to come!