Le padel and tennis are two cousins ​​that are often compared. And we often hear that the padel is much easier than tennis, is it really?

Much more ground to cover in tennis

First, let's talk distances. A track of padel is 20 meters by 10, when a (single) tennis court is 23,77 meters by 8,23. At padel, as we always play doubles, each player must cover roughly an area of ​​50m² (it is not uncommon for a player to play balls on his partner's side, but we deliberately wanted to simplify). The longest runs generally do not exceed 10 meters (except in cases where players are looking for a ball very far off the track, such as here).

In tennis, our camp is 98m², not to mention that the players are usually a few meters behind their line in defense. We can therefore see that the ground cover is quite easily twice as great as what can be found at padel, with sometimes forward races that will approach 15 meters!

We then understand that tennis will immediately require a greater capacity for movement.

Le padel, a fun and accessible sport

Now, let's talk technical. As is often said, the padel is much easier to access than its cousin tennis. The recent remarks of sports journalist David Aiello perfectly sum up what many beginners think:

"For me the padel is much more fun than tennis because it is technically simpler”.

David Aiello 4Padel Montreuil
David Aiello

It's a reality. In tennis, it takes a long time to master the technique, and it is very difficult to have fun without having a good base. The service alone requires a whole apprenticeship. And as said above, the part of the ground to be covered being important, beginners generally spend more time going to retrieve the balls from the four corners of the court than making rallies.

Au padel, the service is done with the spoon, the more flexible racquets return the ball easily and you can very quickly make exchanges and have fun. Less court coverage and shorter strokes allow older players to have fun when tennis gets tough. In addition, the windows and grids prevent the balls from escaping too far once the point is finished. An aspect that has even been at the origin of the creation of this sport.

Among professionals, different qualities

Today we can consider that it is easier to drill padel than in tennis, given the fact that there are many more tennis players than padel on the planet, and that the gains are not at all the same. It is believed that the best players of padel, sponsors included, can earn between one and two million euros a year, when a Roger Federer was able to accumulate almost 100 million euros per season during its most lucrative years! In addition, tennis stars are recognized around the world, and have millions of fans. We understand that one of the two can more easily give birth to vocations...

However, even if they are less watched and the level of excellence required is not the same, the best players of padel are today real professionals, who train every day and who have complete teams with technical coach, physical trainer, nutritionist, mental trainer etc. Moreover, the technical level and precision of the stars of the padel is very important, and we understand that only those who started the practice very young are able to master all the blows of this sport.

alejandro-galan_juan-lebron_swedish-padel-open-2022_final_gp2_4497-1170x669-1
Number 1 Ale Galan in his works

At the athletic level, we are mainly dealing with different efforts, the tennis player having a lot of lateral runs to do with important weight transfers, when the player of padel has more recourse to forward/backward type races with many jumps, and has to bend down more in defense.

We understand that the qualities targeted by the physical preparation will not be the same but that in both cases, the very best must be real athletes. Don't get me wrong, at padel the exchanges are sometimes very long, which requires a very important concentration and requires cardio. Moreover, we notice that this sport is constantly evolving, and that it is more and more physically demanding.

Furthermore, the tactics padel is very important: you have to know how to use the elements of the structure to your advantage (windows, grids), and adapt to a pair with two players who sometimes have different qualities or levels... The presence of the coach at each change of side and playing doubles make the tactical battle ubiquitous. The relationship with the teammate is another important element to master.

In tennis, in singles, the issues are not the same and they require other qualities. Indeed, the player is totally master of his destiny, and his nerves are often put to the test. He must find solutions on his own and therefore demonstrate a steely mind to exist at a high level.

Conclusion

It is certain that the padel is an easier sport than tennis, insofar as it allows you to access a level that allows you to have fun much more quickly. The terrain coverage is lower, which will allow less athletic or older people to still have fun.

Furthermore, because it is a younger sport, the padel remains even more accessible for those who wish to reach the top level. A very simple example: there are many former tennis players among the good players of padel, but not vice versa!

But be careful, the padel played at a very high level is nonetheless a very technical and physical sport, and in view of the developments known in recent years, we would not be surprised if it will be even more so in the near future. Moreover, tactics are often very fine padel, because the sport is played two against two and in a small space requiring a lot of precision and adjustments.

Finally, if we understand that the padel remains much more accessible than its cousin tennis, this does not mean that it is easy to become a champion of padel. These two sports require different skills, it's up to you to see which of the two suits you best!

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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