Padel or paddle: is there a difference?

Is it "Padel" or "Paddle"? A bit of history...

Legend has it that the first version of this game originated in the late nineteenth century, when members of the English navy spent their free time passing a ball back and forth with the help of an oar (paddle means "oar" in English), using the walls of the hold, aboard sailing ships that plied the oceans during the "race for the colonies". According to others, this game was born, in its primitive form, in 1898 thanks to the New York reverend Frank Beal under the name "Paddle Tennis", as a recreational activity initially reserved for children. The name (paddle) derives from the solid-faced racket - paddle racquet ('paddle') in English. In fact, a solid wooden racket was used to play, while the court was surrounded by metal fences. In another version of the history of padel, the game derives from Platform Tennis invented around 1920 by Fessenden Blanchard and James Cogswell in New York. The two wanted to play tennis in their backyard even in the winter. For this reason, they decided to install a small tennis court (there wasn't enough space for a regulation-sized one) with a raised floor—hence the "platform" in the name—to allow for a heating system to be installed underneath to prevent snow from accumulating. To prevent the ball from leaving the playing area, a fence was finally added to the edge of the court. Lack of space also characterizes the latest version of the birth of this sport, the officially recognized one, according to which in 1969 the Mexican patron Enrique Corcuera, wanting to build a tennis court in his home, but finding walls right next to the space available for the playing field, had the idea of ​​considering the walls an integral part of the court itself. Corcuera then coined some rules for this new activity - along the lines of those already in use in tennis - and called it "padel". And so this is the term by which the new sport was named by its historically recognized creator.

The story doesn't end here.

Some time later, Corcuera invited the Spanish entrepreneur Alfonso Hohenloe to play at his home. The entrepreneur was so enthusiastic that upon his return to Marbella (1974) he had a pitch built in his sports club. Curiously, in Marbella (Spain) it was mainly Argentines who played. Many of them returned to their homeland and spread Padel there: in just a few years, the game spread to the point that millions of people—literally—began playing this easy and fun sport, thanks also to the many public courts that were built. Parallel to Argentina, the sport also began to spread in Spain, which, unlike its South American cousins, had an audience of celebrities and the bourgeois classes. Following this international spread, the International Padel Federation was founded in Madrid on July 25, 1991. It was the first major step towards organizing an international circuit based on a true set of rules for the game.

They say "padel". But where does the term "paddle" come from?

We have seen that the term Padel was used both by the founder of this sport and still today by the international federation that regulates the game - the International Padel Federation. The term "paddle" comes from a corruption of the original term - which, in fact, has no meaning. This distortion probably occurred because "paddle" in the Anglo-Saxon language has the meaning of "paddle", which vaguely recalls the shape of the racket used in this sport (very different from the tennis one). The Italian federation that officially deals with padel is the Italian Tennis Federation - FIT , which has been the governing body of this sport since 2008. Like other federations born around the world, while adopting the original rules referring to the game of padel, it defines it paddle and therefore the two terms often end up being confused.

So... What to call it?

In conclusion: you can call it padel (the official name given by the game's creator) or paddle (the variant popularized by English speakers). Either way, you won't be wrong. Rest assured, however, that this sport, capable of winning over tens of thousands of people in Italy alone over the last year, will thrill you with a fun and friendly game that can be played by people of all ages, genders, technical and physical abilities, and, above all, requires minimal expense, making it truly accessible to anyone.

Why all this interest?

There are as many as 10,000 Italians who are passionate about this sport, and the number is destined to grow. "The game is very popular in Spain," explains Gianfranco Nirdaci, national coordinator of this sport within the Italian Tennis Federation, in an interview with Il Sole 24 Ore. - but in Europe we are right after and our growth trends are really higher". A sport that has recently been involving athletes of the caliber of Novak Djokovic , winner of thirteen career slams, the last of which was Wimbledon 2018; Roberto Mancini, current Coach of the Italian National Team, who told Guerin Sportivo that he couldn't do without playing it today, Francesco Totti, who is so passionate about it that he had a court built in his own backyard, and many others... It's a sport that, unlike tennis, is much easier to learn and has faster, more fun playing times. It's a beneficial discipline for all athletes: it can be a valid physical activity without aggressive movements, suitable for keeping fit, and at the same time it can also simply be an opportunity to meet and "get together." As for the courts, however, they are both outdoors and indoors, so they can be played year-round.

Italian Padel: Professionals at your service.

We at Italian Padel are the largest Italian company specializing in the production of structures for padel courts. We specialize in the design, construction, and turnkey installation of certified padel courts, designed and manufactured entirely in Italy. Among our most notable projects are the courts for the 2016 International Tennis Paddle Championships at the Foro Italico in Rome for Officine del Padel. We have built more than 100 courts in Italy alone, and our clients include both private individuals and sports centers. If you'd like, you can browse our portfolio Our Courts and, if you'd like, contact us by email (info@italianpadel.it) or phone (+39 0309686073).