How a Backyard Experiment Became a Global Sport
Padel is now played by over 25 million people across more than 90 countries, but its story begins in a surprisingly humble place: a private backyard in Acapulco, Mexico. Understanding where padel came from helps explain why it plays the way it does, with walls, enclosed courts, and a uniquely social format that sets it apart from every other racket sport.
The Invention of Padel in 1969
In 1969, Mexican businessman Enrique Corcuera wanted to build a tennis court at his vacation home in Acapulco. The problem was space. His property did not have enough room for a regulation tennis court, so he adapted. He built a smaller court and added walls around it so the ball would stay in play rather than flying into neighboring properties.
Corcuera called his creation "Padel" and wrote the first set of rules for the game. The court measured 20 meters by 10 meters, enclosed by concrete walls on the back and partial walls on the sides. Players used solid rackets without strings and a depressurized tennis ball. The game was played exclusively in doubles format, and the underhand serve kept rallies accessible for players of all skill levels.
What started as a practical solution to a space problem turned out to be something much more interesting: a sport that was easier to pick up than tennis, more social by design, and genuinely fun from the first point.
Padel Crosses the Atlantic to Spain
The sport might have stayed a Mexican curiosity if not for Alfonso de Hohenlohe, a Spanish prince and socialite who visited Corcuera in Acapulco during the early 1970s. Hohenlohe played padel at Corcuera's home, fell in love with the game, and brought it back to his resort in Marbella, Spain.
Hohenlohe built the first padel courts in Europe at the Marbella Club and introduced the sport to Spain's social elite. From there, the game spread quickly through private clubs and resorts along the Costa del Sol.
Spain's warm climate, strong tennis culture, and social sporting traditions made it the perfect environment for padel to thrive. By the 1980s, padel had moved beyond exclusive clubs and into public facilities across the country. The Spanish Padel Federation (Federación Española de Pádel) was founded in 1991, formalizing the sport's governance and competitive structure.
Today, Spain has more than 20,000 padel courts and over 6 million regular players, making it the country where padel is most deeply embedded in daily life. In many Spanish cities, padel courts outnumber tennis courts by a wide margin.
Growth Across Latin America
While padel was taking off in Spain, it was also spreading rapidly through Latin America. Argentina became the sport's second major stronghold in the 1980s. The country's love of social sports, combined with relatively low costs to build padel courts compared to full-sized tennis facilities, fueled massive adoption.
Argentina now has the highest number of padel courts per capita in the world, with the sport woven into the fabric of neighborhood sporting clubs. Many of the world's top professional padel players come from Argentina, including multiple World Padel Tour champions.
Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, and Paraguay also developed strong padel communities during this period. The sport's doubles-only format and accessible learning curve made it a natural fit for the region's club-based sporting culture.
The Professional Circuit Takes Shape
Padel's competitive scene has evolved significantly over the past two decades. The World Padel Tour (WPT) launched in 2013 and became the premier professional circuit, hosting tournaments across Spain and internationally. Players like Fernando Belasteguín, who held the world number one ranking for 16 consecutive years, helped raise the sport's profile globally.
In 2022, the International Padel Federation (FIP) partnered with Qatar Sports Investments to create Premier Padel, a new global circuit sanctioned by the FIP. This created competition between circuits but also brought more investment, media coverage, and international tournaments to the sport.
The professional circuits have since moved toward a unified structure, giving padel a clearer path toward its stated goal of Olympic inclusion. The FIP has been actively lobbying for padel to appear at the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
Padel's Expansion into Northern Europe
The 2010s saw padel break out of its traditional strongholds in Spain and Latin America. Sweden became an unexpected hotbed, going from virtually zero courts to over 4,000 in just a few years. The Swedish model showed that padel could succeed in cold-weather countries when combined with indoor facilities.
Italy, Portugal, Belgium, and the Netherlands followed similar growth trajectories. The United Kingdom saw rapid growth starting around 2020, with the Lawn Tennis Association formally recognizing padel and investing in court construction across the country.
The pattern in each new market tends to follow a similar path: a few enthusiasts discover the sport while traveling in Spain, build courts back home, and the game's social nature and short learning curve do the rest. Unlike tennis, where beginners may struggle for months before having enjoyable rallies, padel players can have competitive points within their first few sessions.
Padel Arrives in North America
North America represents padel's newest frontier. The United States and Canada have seen a wave of court construction since 2022, with facilities opening in major cities like Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, and Vancouver.
The growth in North America has been driven partly by the pickleball boom, which showed that there is enormous appetite for accessible racket sports. Padel offers a different but complementary experience: the enclosed court, wall play, and doubles format create a game that feels familiar yet distinct.
Several factors make the North American market unique. Court construction costs are higher due to the enclosed glass and metal structure. Zoning and permitting for padel-specific facilities can be complex. And the sport is competing for attention in a market already crowded with tennis, pickleball, and other racket sports.
Despite these challenges, the trajectory is clear. New padel clubs are opening regularly, and the sport's combination of social play, physical activity, and strategic depth is winning converts. If you are curious about trying padel, you can browse our court listings to find a facility near you.
Why Padel's Design Drives Its Growth
Looking back at padel's history, several design choices made by Corcuera in 1969 turn out to be the exact qualities driving the sport's growth today.
The enclosed court keeps the ball in play longer, creating more rallies and more fun for recreational players. The smaller court size means less ground to cover, making the sport accessible to older players and those with limited mobility. The doubles-only format makes every session social. And the underhand serve removes one of the biggest barriers in tennis, where the serve can dominate the game.
These are not accidental features. They are the direct result of a man trying to fit a tennis court into a small backyard. Sometimes the best inventions come from constraints.
From Acapulco to Everywhere
Padel's journey from a single court in Mexico to a global sport played on every continent is one of the more remarkable stories in modern sports. It took decades of organic growth, passionate ambassadors, and the sport's own inherently social nature to reach this point.
The next chapter is still being written. With professional circuits unifying, Olympic ambitions gaining momentum, and new markets in North America and Asia opening up, padel's best years may still be ahead. Whether you have been playing for years or are just discovering the sport, you are part of a story that started with one creative solution to a backyard problem more than 50 years ago.
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