Besides the fact that the tennis and padel are 2 racket sports, there are similarities, But also physical differences among amateur and professional players.

Le padel and tennis have often been associated for their resemblance. Many tennis players have taken the plunge, and find in the padel a different atmosphere.

Among amateurs

That is not the question. Let's talk about morphology and physics. In amateur players, this is where the differences are the most important. In tennis, you have to a minimum of technique to start having fun, so not everyone can “enjoy” from the first touches of balls. In general, tennis players are people who play sports regularly, who tend to heal their bodies.

Au padel, among amateurs, it is much easier to start playing. From the first minutes we laugh, we have a good time, without necessarily having a technique or a great physique. Therefore anyone can play. We find young people, older people, but also people with physical or mental disabilities, or with overweight.

Among the pros

Everything becomes much more precise when we compare tennis professionals with those of padel. In tennis, today, players who do not exceed 1m75 find themselves in difficulty. For both men and women, size matters. There are slightly smaller players, but their chances of winning often come down to the only clay tournaments, which are slower (apart from the current Nº1 which measures 1m66). Among men, since Chang, all the top ranking players are rather tall.

Au padel, This is not the case. Of course tall players have an advantage in court coverage, ease in accessing volleys or high balls, but smaller players also have their chances because their physique allows them to bring tonicity and beautiful defenses. There are several players under 1 m in the world top 75, and no player over 20 m, unlike tennis!

Among the ladies, it is even more obvious. Take the top 20 padel, half of the players do not exceed 1m70 while in tennis, in the world top 20, many players exceed 1m80. The padel is therefore a more accessible sport.

From a muscular point of view there is a strong resemblance, it is at the level of the arm. Indeed, both in tennis and in padel, the dominant forearm is oversized. The musculature, although worked off piste to balance the body, is more developed on the dominant side. Also there is a difference in the size of the muscles in the abdominals and backs, muscles favoring rotation.

The big difference in musculature is in the legs. Tennis players are quite thin, stretched out, lanky. hen you look at tennis players, they don't impress with their physique. We hear that tenniswomen are the girls with the best legs. This sport refines.

Au padel, the lower part of the body must be worked differently which generally results in a bit more stocky physique. The flexions are very present and the thighs of the players of padel must be particularly worked in the weight room to have the best possible performance. For men, relaxation is also one of the points not to be neglected, both to access high balls and to recover, at the net, opponents' smashes.

So yes there are similarities in the 2 sports, but there are also differences. Tennis and padel are cousins, but over time, these two sports develop their own musculature with fairly specific player profiles.

 

Julien Bondia

Julien Bondia is a teacher of padel in Tenerife (Spain). Columnist and advisor, he helps you play better through his tutorials and tactical/technical articles padel.

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