The field of Padel consists of a specific environment different from other racket sports.

Small in size, it measures 20m long and 10m wide with a net in the middle (Photo 1). In comparison, a tennis court measures 23,77m by 10,97m but the latter has an outdoor playing area enlarging the total area of ​​the playing surface (34,77m by 17,07) (14).

The court net is identical to the tennis net, made up of mesh stretched between the two side posts by a steel cable wrapped in a white plastic band (Photo 2).

Pierre-Olivier Ferrand, General practitioner trained in sports pathologies and manual medicine, dissects us THE TRAUMATIC PATHOLOGIES OF THE PLAYER PADEL as part of his thesis which you can find in full HERE.

Characteristics of a track padel

One of the peculiarities of padel is in its playing area limited and partitioned by grids in its lateral part and windows in its postero-lateral and posterior parts. The player of padel can leave the field only through a small door of 2,2m high by 1,8m wide, distributed on either side of the net of padel (15)

Player of padel exiting through the door
Photo 2 Player of padel exiting through the door

The surface of the field is made up of a synthetic turf carpet on which is applied a more or less important layer of sand.

Thus, this specific medium offers the four players present on the field a reduced playing surface creating increased proximity between the players, partner or opponent, as well as high game speed and multidirectional ball rebounds.

A particular racquet…

On the game side, the padel is practiced with solid rackets made of rigid foam covered with carbon or fiberglass. They weigh between 300 and 390 grams and all have a safety strap to connect them to the player's wrist (Photo 3). The balls used are similar to those used in tennis, with slightly lower pressure(15).

Racket and balls padel
Photo 3 Racket and balls padel

Unlike tennis, which is essentially played with the court facing you, padel plays out within all these structures. The player of padel is therefore permanently surrounded by a potentially traumatic framework. During the point, the player can hit the ball in front of his opponent, but he has a second option which consists in letting the ball bounce against the windows at the back of the court. He will then have to move around the field in order to be able to play this ball and will sometimes find himself with his back to the net and to his opponents, with a totally different position and landmarks as shown in the image below (Photo 4).

During opponent smashes, the player will be brought closer to the net. This proximity will be all the more important during very fast balls. The player thus approaches the opponent even as he is in the process of making his move, thus making the environment particularly dangerous since he must also avoid the ball. Some types of smashes have the particularity of bringing the ball out of bounds above the side window or grid. The trained player can then try to catch this ball by running out of the field through the door located on either side of the net (Photo 2).

Player of padel hitting a ball coming back from the glass
Photo 4 Player of padel hitting a ball coming back from the glass

Sources

14. Build a tennis court – construction renovation courts tennis clubs | French Tennis Federation [Internet]. [cited 24 Jul 2022]. Available at: https://www.fft.fr/gerer-mon-club/equipement/construire-un-terrain/construire-un-court-de-tennis

15. Allain G. COURT OF PADEL : MEASUREMENTS AND DIMENSIONS [Internet]. Padel Nuestro Blog. 2019 [cited 11 Nov 2021]. Available at: https://www.padelnuestro.com/blog/en/court-of-padel-measurements-and-dimensions/

Pierre-Olivier Ferrand

Passionate about tennis from an early age, Pierre-Olivier discovered a passion for padel in 2018. General practitioner trained in sports pathologies and manual medicine, he juggles between snowshoes and stethoscope for his greatest pleasure.

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