Padel Magazine - The padel is booming in Europe. Clubs are being built, there are always more enthusiasts… But as soon as we try to talk a little about the origins of this sport, the versions multiply until they even clash. So it is time that Padel Magazine sort it out.

There are actually two versions on the origins of padel.

The first version links the origins of padel other racket sports such as tennis or badminton which have the common French palm game as their origin. Then, different variations of the origins of the padel such as “paddle tennis” and “platform tennis”, which are played with racquets that are smaller than tennis. .

The second version, which is also the one supported by the International Federation Padel, explains that this sport was born in Mexico in 1969 by the entrepreneur Enrique Corcuera.

1 / The French Palm Game

The game of palm is practiced and develops at the end of the thirteenth century, with its regulations, standards and status.

Palm room (1564) at the castle of Suze-la-Rousse (Drôme)
Posters of the first world championships in 1890

This sport will provoke a real French madness and will become very dangerous, causing many deaths like the brother of Montaigne.

But in the eighteenth century, France abandons the game of palm that will find refuge in the United Kingdom and the United States.

The tennis game could be played by more than 3 players on each side. It is the indoor version of the tennis court that will come closest to the padel with its famous short rackets.

In the XNUMXth century, many elements affirmed that the existence of a sport similar to padel developed in the basements of English ships using oars to strike the ball and from the walls of the vessel to bounce the ball. These walls were used to delimit the play area.

It is estimated that this sport will give birth to Padlle tennis and The Platform Tennis.

2 / Paddle Tennis

In 1898, North American and Reverend Frank Beal, of Albion, Michigan, makes modifications to a tennis court in order to teach young children to play. The Reverend reduces the size of the court by half, and changes the texture of the ball ... It becomes softer.

Franck Bear padlle tennis

This sport will be popular with both children and adults, and will spread to the poorest areas and where there is a scarcity of land.

In 1922, the first Paddle Tennis tournament is played, with rules that will be validated a year later by the American Paddle Tennis Association (USPTA) becoming one of the most popular activities of recreation in US cities, and being part of the initial stages of learning tennis, given its simplicity and ease.

3 / Platform Tennis

At the same time as the development of paddle tennis, in 1928, Freseddenn Blanchardy and James Cogswell make some modifications to facilitate his practice and also allow this sport to be practiced in winter.

platform tennis

The birth of this new type of court, called "Platform tennis", takes place in the district of Scarsdale (New York), a middle-class area, completely the opposite of its neighbor, paddle tennis, practiced most often in modest neighborhoods.

The changes made by Freseddenn Blanchardy and James Cogswell are the basis of Platform Tennis today:

  • The practice of this sport in pairs
  • The rebound of the ball on the fence
  • The grid becomes a metal structure
  • The ball becomes much closer to a tennis ball.

The elements below necessarily remind us of the padel. This is why a number believe that Freseddenn Blanchardy and James Cogswell are in fact at the origin of the padel.

4 / The padel current: Enrique Corcuera

The International Federation of Padel only recognizes this version.

It indicates that the padel was born in Acapulco (Mexico), in 1969, when Enrique Corcuera, a businessman, built walls to protect his land from vegetation. These walls will be 3 meters high at the back while laterally they will be two meters, with a free space in the middle as on padel current.

premier terrain de padel

The entrepreneur sets up a gaming system that is very close to Platform Tennis.

The big difference is that the contractor sets up rackets without ropes.

It is also said that Corcuera had the idea of ​​transforming his tennis court into a kind of tennis court. padel to help his wife play better and avoid going looking for balls all over the field; the back wall gave his wife a second chance to return the ball… The story does not say if it was a success.

In 1974, the Spanish businessman Alfonso de Hohenlohe was invited by his friend Corcuera. Alfonso falls in love with this concept. After some modifications, he exported this sport to Spain and built the first padel at the Marbella club.

History of padel
D. Alfonso de Hohenlohe (left) and D. Enrique Corcuera (right)

In 1975, Argentinian millionaire Julio Menditengui established the padel in his country after having discovered him in Marbella…

Then the story is known. The padel is developing very rapidly in Spanish-speaking countries. Chile, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay become countries of padel.

In 1982, Uruguay hosted the first international competitions of padel.

Since the 90s, the development is such that the padel has become the national sport in Spain, overtaking tennis in number. In every Spanish city there are fields of padel. Spain's sports policy also promotes the development of padel in all of its municipal sports parks or clubs.

Le padel is the sport of the XNUMXst century.

Franck Binisti - Padel Magazine
Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovers the padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since padel is part of his life. You often see him touring France going to cover the major events of padel French.

On the same subject