Unlike tennis, which can be played on different surfaces, padel is always played on artificial turf at a high level. The organizers of professional tournaments always use the same carpets. And yet, the conditions are not always the same, so players must adapt as best they can, or risk quickly falling by the wayside!

Indoor/outdoor: an important difference

If you follow the padel for a little while, it has certainly not escaped you: the tournaments of padel are sometimes played indoors, as during Madrid P1 and sometimes outdoors as is currently the case at Greenweez Paris Major.

And as the padel is a game with a lot of high balls, it is not at all the same to play inside or outside. Outdoors, it is necessary to take into account the wind and the sun which can greatly hinder the smashers. So we often see more lobs and slower outdoor play.

Léa Godallier Paris Major 2023 sun

Other crucial parameters

The temperature also has an influence on the game. Indeed, the hotter it is, the livelier the balls and the hotter the windows, which means that the ball bounces more and it is therefore easier in particular to perform winning smashes. When it's cold, however, we see much more defensive matches.

Atmospheric pressure and humidity also have an influence on the pressure of the balls. Thus, aggressive players generally enjoy themselves in cities located at altitude and in dry and sunny areas, as is the case in Valladolid in summer.

And according to all these conditions, the organizers and players choose balls which can limit this or that parameter. At Roland-Garros, the Wilson ball, known for being rather lively, was chosen. We notice that it allows the attackers to enjoy themselves in the afternoon when there is sunshine, but in the evening we will witness more defensive matches!

Ben Tison

You understood, there are no two tournaments that offer exactly similar conditions on the planet padel, to the delight of spectators who are never bored!

Xan is a fan of padel. But also rugby! And his posts are just as punchy. Physical trainer of several padel, he unearths atypical posts or deals with topical subjects. It also gives you some tips to develop your physique for the padel. Clearly, he imposes his offensive style as on the field of padel !

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