Le padel is a racquet sport that can best be described as a mix between tennis and squash. Indeed, it mainly uses the rules and the scoring system of tennis with a possible use of the side and back walls as in squash.

Le padel is a doubles game played on a synthetic court surrounded by glass walls and wire mesh. The land is rectangular in shape and measures 10 meters wide by 20 meters long. It is separated in the middle by a tennis net (0,88 meters in the center and 0,92 meters at the posts). The rear walls are 10 meters wide and 3 meters high. There are also two side walls which are 4 meters wide and 3 meters high. The rest of the land is fenced with a metal fence 3 meters high.

The players of padel use a special racket, very different in size and composition from tennis and squash. The racquet is perforated for lightness and measures 26 centimeters by 29 centimeters and 45 centimeters long. The ball, extremely similar to that of tennis, however, has a lower pressure than that of tennis in order to slow down the game somewhat. This allows better control of the ball and therefore allows novice players of all ages to adapt to the game more. easily.

This sport is only practiced in two against two. The service is carried out with a spoon (without hitting the ball higher than the belt), must be crossed, and starting from right to left. A serve that touches the fence after a rebound is “foul” (which is not the case with a ball in exchange). In service, the ball which grazes the strip of the net and falls back into the target serving area, which touches the fence after two rebounds on the ground or which taps the angle of the wall at the edge of the fence is let.

In the exchange, after a bounce on the ground, the ball can touch any other surface several times (except the ground). Thus, the door handle, the fences, the walls ... everything is part of the terrain and reserves unexpected trajectories. The second rebound on the ground marks the loss of the point for the raisers. As a ball which, after a first rebound on the ground, leaves the enclosure. A ball that, after bouncing against a wall, returns to the batter's court also earns him one point.

On the other hand, after having crossed the net, any ball which first touches a surface other than the ground is “fault” for the sender.

Points are counted as in tennis (15, 30, 40, game, set, match). A game takes place in 2 winning sets.

Matthieu Lebourgeois is a sports physiotherapist and physical trainer. He takes care of players of padel lover of re-athletic rehabilitation and practices padel regularly at leisure on padel. Matthieu fully intends to test himself in competition and show his talent!

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