Often referred to as "squash-in-the-sun" in English, the padel is one of the fastest growing sports of our XNUMXst century. He should not be confused with his cousin, paddle tennis, which is another variant, nor confuse it with the paddle boarding, a water sport that is practiced on a board.

A mix of squash and tennis

For those who are new to the practice, know that this game is a subtle mix of squash and tennis and is played in doubles on an enclosed court, which is about half the size of a tennis court. The scoring system is the same as in tennis, while the balls used are the same with a little less pressure. So there are clearly similarities between the two sports, but where does this little brother full of potential come from and what does he have to offer us?

Enrique Corcuera, the inventor of padel

In the 1960 years, the Mexican Enrique Corcuera, considered to be the inventor of padel, found inspiration on American tennis courts. The new sport was born when Mr. Corcuera modified an existing court (measuring 20m x 10m) by enclosing the court with walls and a metal fence of four meters on all sides. He then calls this new sport the " padel ».

Alfonso de Hohenlohe, a close friend of Enrique, is one of the founding figures of the Spanish municipality of Marbella in Spain, one of the most committed of the time in the transformation of his small town, a little sleepy until then. He wanted to transform it into a vacation destination, into a real seaside resort: a challenge that he managed to overcome today! While visiting Mexico in 1974, Hohenlohe enjoyed this new game invented by his friend so much that he decided to import it to the Costa del Sol, Spain.

Spain: the country where everything begins

It was there that he built the first two courts of padel from Spain, at the Marbella Club. The padel It is rapidly gaining popularity with members of elite clubs. Thus, many tournaments padel are organized all along the Costa del Sol, this being made possible thanks to numerous constructions of padel In the region. In 1975, an Argentinian member of the Marbella club brought back the padel in South America, where sport is incredibly successful. Today, in Argentina alone, more than 2 million players officially engage in padel. The population practicing this young sport in the making is spreading throughout Latin America and even throughout the continent: in Mexico, the United States, or even Canada.

World tennis stars

In Europe, this sport is also expanding, thanks to the impulse given by tennis stars who decide to practice it in a fun or serious way. We have in France a very good example with the tennis player Henri Leconte, who discovered a real passion and who participates in the national and international influence of this fascinating sport. It must be said that more and more tennis players like Gaël Monfils are passionate about the padel.

Soon online bets?

We can imagine that players like Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who was still given a favorite by the site BetStars with an odds of 1.12 during his match against Nikoloz Basilashvili at the Open Parc Auvergne Rhône-Alpes in Lyon, put themselves at the padel and bring him even greater visibility and notoriety.

When are the official bets?

 

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.

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