Padel is a racket sport played on a glass-and-mesh enclosed court, in doubles, using a scoring system borrowed from tennis. It’s been enormous in Spain and Argentina for decades, and the UK is now in the middle of catching up fast – the LTA counted about 1,000,000 players in Britain in May 2026, up from 400,000 in 2024.

If you’ve seen the courts popping up at your local leisure centre or heard it mentioned at work and wondered what the fuss is about, here’s the honest version.

The court

A padel court is 20 metres long and 10 metres wide – about three-quarters of the area of a tennis doubles court. The key difference is that the court is enclosed: walls (usually glass) at the back and at each end of the sides, metal mesh above the back walls and along the middle of the sides, with openings on each side for access.

The net is similar to a tennis net but slightly lower – 88 cm at the centre. There are service boxes on each side, like tennis. And that’s roughly where the similarity ends.

The glass walls are not just background. They’re in play. After a ball bounces on your side of the court, you can use the walls – deliberately playing the ball off the back glass before sending it back over the net is a legitimate and frequently used shot. This is the thing that most surprises new players and the thing that makes padel padel.

The serve

Padel serves are underarm. The server stands behind the service line, lets the ball bounce on the ground, then hits it at or below waist height diagonally into the opponent’s service box. The ball can then bounce off the side or back wall and still be a valid serve.

This matters for beginners because the serve is not a weapon. You can’t smash it at 180 km/h past your opponent. The game is built around what happens after the serve – rallies, positioning, and how cleverly you use the walls.

Scoring

The scoring system is identical to tennis: 15, 30, 40, game. You need to win six games to win a set (with at least a two-game lead), and if a set reaches 6–6, a tiebreak decides it. Matches are typically best-of-three sets.

If you already play tennis, there’s nothing new to learn here. If you don’t, it’s slightly odd at first – but you’ll pick it up within a game or two.

How is padel different from tennis?

Padel uses a smaller enclosed court, underarm serves, and walls that are in play. It is almost always played as doubles and rewards positioning over power.

The comparisons are inevitable, so here they are plainly:

  • Court size – padel courts are much smaller. Less running, more positioning.
  • Walls – tennis has no walls. In padel, the walls are part of the game.
  • Serve – tennis serves are overhead and often the defining shot. Padel serves are gentle underarm; the rally matters more.
  • Singles – padel is played in doubles only. There’s no singles format in competitive or casual play.
  • Power – padel rewards control, angles, and teamwork over raw power. Big hitters from tennis often find the adjustment harder than expected.

The result is a game where beginners can have proper rallies within their first session, and where two players who’ve never met can function as a doubles team almost immediately. That’s not an accident – it’s baked into the design of the sport.

How is padel different from squash?

Padel has glass walls like squash, but the ball bounces on the court first, you almost always play doubles, and you mainly use the back and side glass rather than a front wall.

The glass walls lead people to assume padel is like squash. It isn’t, really. In squash you’re hitting a ball off four walls continuously, in a solo or solo-vs-solo format, and the skill ceiling for technique is enormous. In padel you mainly use the back and side glass, the ball bounces on the court first before you use it, and you’re almost always playing in a team. The visual is similar; the games are not.

Why has padel taken off in the UK?

Padel is easy to pick up, social by design, and appeals to the UK’s large base of lapsed tennis players. About 1,000,000 people in Britain now play, according to the LTA.

The honest answer is several things happening at once. The sport is accessible in a way most racket sports aren’t – you can have a good time on your first session, which is not true of tennis, squash, or most other formats. It’s social by design: four people, a small court, constant communication. And the UK already had a large base of lapsed tennis players who wanted something with similar DNA but a lower barrier.

The infrastructure followed the demand. The LTA counted 1,825 courts across 551 venues in Britain in May 2026, and the number of people playing more than doubled during 2025. The LTA and LTA Tennis Foundation have invested more than £7.5 million in padel court construction. The sport has moved from a curiosity to a fixture, and most active towns now have at least one venue within a reasonable drive.

What do you need to play padel?

A hired racket, court shoes with lateral support, and three other people. Venues provide balls and you can join a social session if you need a fourth.

Not much. For a first session:

  • Racket – hire one at the venue. Usually £3–£5. Don’t buy yet.
  • Balls – provided by the venue. Padel balls look like tennis balls but are slightly depressurised; they bounce lower.
  • Shoes – court shoes or cross-trainers with lateral support. Running shoes are not great for the sideways movement padel requires.
  • People – you need four. Book a social session if you don’t have three friends who’ll commit; clubs run these regularly for new players.

That’s it. No complicated equipment phase. No prior racket sport experience required. When you’re ready to buy a racket after a few sessions, the first racket guide explains what to look for without wasting money.

Finding a padel court in the UK

Search Playtomic for your nearest venue – it covers most UK clubs – or check the LTA website’s venue finder. Most cities now have multiple options.

The quickest way is Playtomic – it covers most UK venues and lets you book courts and find open sessions. England Padel’s venue finder (via the LTA website) lists registered venues. Most leisure centres and tennis clubs with padel courts are also bookable via their own websites.

If you’re in or near a city, you’ll have options. If you’re somewhere more rural, it’s worth checking the nearest market town – the second wave of court openings has spread well beyond the major cities.

Have a go. It’s not for everyone, but most people who try it book a second session before they’ve finished the first one. If you want to know what that first session will feel like, here’s what to expect. Once you’ve had a session or two and want to understand the social side of how most UK clubs operate, the social padel guide explains the formats – Americanos, social ladders – that form the backbone of the community. And if you’re wondering how padel fits into the UK sporting landscape compared to tennis, the padel vs tennis guide covers the practical differences in cost, effort, and enjoyment. Before your first session, it’s also worth knowing the basic etiquette – the unwritten rules no one explains but everyone notices. And if you are choosing which club to try, the guide to choosing a padel club covers what to look for beyond proximity.