Padel Tennis
3 PADEL TENNIS COURTS
What is Padel?
Padel (Spanish: pádel), sometimes called Padel Tennis, is a racket sport of Mexican origin, typically played in doubles on an enclosed court slightly smaller than a doubles tennis court. Although Padel shares the same scoring system as tennis, the rules, strokes, and technique are different. The balls used are similar but with a little less pressure.
The main differences are that the court has walls and the balls can be played off them in a similar way as in the game of squash and that solid, stringless bats are used. The height of the ball being served must be at or below the waist level.
The history of Padel
Padel was first introduced to the United States in 1993 by Ed Thompson and Felipe Arnold in Houston, Texas at the renowned Houstonian Hotel Club and Spa. They were proud to have the very first ever padel court constructed in the country.
Felipe being a native of Argentina where padel made its initial successful debut was impressed with the growth of the sport in Argentina in just a few short years which inspired him to bring it to the United States. One of the founders first goals was to form the very first ever men's US padel team. The first men's padel team was formed in 1993 by choosing six of the most elite tennis players in the Houston area.
The first men selected for the U.S. Team where: Mike May, Scott Read, Matt Berry, Brian Poynter, Ross Persons and Peter Farrel. Mike May the team captain at the time eventually became the first president of the United States Padel Association in 1998 while continually playing professional padel as well. The USPA has to date had five presidents, these are Mike May, Pilar Graham, Sergio Ortiz, and Marcos Del Pilar. In March of 2022 the USPA produced the Senior World Championship's, this was the first ever international padel championship in the USA and one of the most attended amateur Padel events in the world.
The main differences are that the court has walls and the balls can be played off them in a similar way as in the game of squash and that solid, stringless bats are used. The height of the ball being served must be at or below the waist level.
Become a FLRC member today!
The Forked Lightning Racquet Club is a private membership club and will start accepting early membership applications in Fall of 2024. Please contact our Membership Director Klaus Dlabik through our contact form for more information.