Are we still playing padel in 2023?

Claude Baigts is one of the pioneers of padel French with in particular to his credit the organization of the Mondial de Padel in 2000, the French Open on the Place du Capitole in Toulouse. He is now the head of theEuropean Association of Clubs Padel private (EFCA)

Through his editorial, Claude brings an offensive vision on the evolution of the padel from its origins:

Another sport for another audience

We all know it's fine Enrique Corcuera and his Argentinian friends who first codified the padel and ensured that this new racket sport was not equated with tennis.

In the beginning, everything was different between tennis and padel : size of the courts, racquets without strings for some in order to slow down the exchanges, no service and volley, which favored the game with the walls, practice only in doubles to limit movement; only the point tally was the same.

The first 10 years

Argentina and South American countries having taken a lead of 10 years in the practice of padel competition, matches between South Americans and Europeans, mainly Spaniards, turned into a nightmare for the latter.

We had to face the facts that Argentine hegemony was running the padel the risk of becoming “ghettoized” in a way, as Basque pelota did.

Birth of the FIP

During the first world of 1992 in Madrid, the young International Federation of Padel had the courage to echo it: it was decided that the Argentine Association of Padel would help the European federations which would organize international competitions while training tennis players in order to save time and obtain faster results.

Spain will create the Beefeater Tower with very good Spanish tennis players. France launches Open de France and Training center for 2nd series tennis players. These two countries were joined by the Italians.

We had just shot Enrique Corcuera for the first time

We had to move quickly because the gap was not bridging between the real players of padel and second-hand converts.

In 1996, during the 3rd World, still in Madrid, the FIP took the decision to harmonize the rules concerning the service. Faced with pressure from Europeans and their former tennis players, it was decided that the padel would convert to serve and volley; Pandora's box was open and I had actively participated in it.

This is how the volleyball player had to prevail over the defensive players, that the search for the winning point through the opponent's fault would be replaced by the directly winning shot. Fewer exchanges, you have to go quickly if you want to catch the television; a match therefore takes an average of 2h30 to 1h30.

A new era would spawn a new sport: “tennis-padel"

The racket was going to change completely: a weapon was needed, certainly without strings, but which could transmit power and reproduce effects comparable to those of tennis, in a word a mini-tennis racket.

Head-Gravity-motion-elite-pro-palas-padel-2022 | Padel Magazine

To organize tournaments in public squares, it was decided to standardize synthetic turf (as tennis had already done) in order to further increase the speed of exchanges.

And then the coup de grace...

Then, the tracks – which would later become the panoramic courts – replaced the concrete with glass. Always faster, always more aggressive! THE padel would become the retirement home for more and more tennis players.

Seeing the progress of padel and the endemic loss of tennis membership, the tennis federations decided to take over the leadership of the padel.

Means: media, financial, gave immediate effects with establishments of clubs all over the world.

Tennis teachers for “tennis teachers” padel"

It was decided to give work to tennis teachers through unsuitable training to make them bad tennis teachers. padel but teachers of “tennis padel".

The clubs or more exactly the centers of padel or rush for 10 years of court hour renters who after the game greet each other and go their separate ways as they were used to in tennis play “tennis padel” a fake collective sport that opposes the padel which favors safe conviviality and off the pitch.

We make the mistakes of the past again

Tennis padel” reproduces the errors of the past of tennis and will know the same end as the products having to be consumed immediately, like the hamburger to take away which is opposed to the rib of beef to be consumed between 4 friends around a beautiful well laid table.

Enrique, Julio, Oscar, Adriana and others, pioneers of padel, do not be melancholy: today's merchants will never experience the moments offered by the padel with its pale copy that is tennis padel.

The providential man, he exists, we know him, and they know him, we hope to see him come out of his reserve and they dread this moment. He will take in hand the destinies of the padel to restore this marvelous sport to its original values.

Press Release