Padel tennis is on the brink of becoming the fastest-growing sport in the world and has finally arrived in South Africa. The sport is growing every day, and a few South African padel brands are serving up a variety of venues for sports fans to enjoy this new kind of tennis. Strictly speaking, it’s not tennis. Padel is a hybrid of tennis and squash, and is quickly becoming the latest craze in ‘racquet’ sports, with more than 10 million people playing in over 60 countries. But how can you be a part of the global phenomenon? Here is a crash course on this exciting game everyone is talking about, as well as a breakdown of padel equipment needed to play.
Padel is a fast-paced ‘racquet’ sport, typically played in doubles on an enclosed court roughly 25% smaller than the size of a tennis court. Scoring is the same as normal tennis and the balls used are similar but a little lighter in weight. It’s super easy to learn, even for those who have never played a racquet sport before. Plus, you don’t need much padel tennis equipment to get started, so it’s fairly accessible for many people.
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What you need to play padel tennis
You don’t need much equipment to get involved in padel tennis in South Africa. The equipment you need for padel tennis include padel tennis balls, a padel bat or padel racquet, and, of course, you also need a padel court to play on.
While tennis can be a little complicated and intimidating, padel — with its down-sized court, lighter padel tennis balls, and fibreglass padel ‘racquet’ that resembles a beach bat — is a whole other ball game. Each padel court is fenced off with hinged gates to let you in or out, and they’re walled in on either end by reinforced plexiglass. The back walls and side fences are included in gameplay (like squash). The ball is allowed to bounce twice: once on the ground, once off the wall, and then it’s free to be launched back into the opponent’s side. If the ball bounces twice on the opponent’s side, you score. Similarly, if the ball bounces into the net or goes out of court, then you lose a point.
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The game is a lot more accessible, and having the fenced-in area and glass backboard means that the ball is almost always in play. While the scoring system is the same as tennis, the gameplay of padel is slightly different. Each match is played in pairs, with a match made up of three or five sets. You win a set when you win six games. Serving is done at hip height and must be bounced on the ground before hitting it underhand diagonally towards the opponent on the opposite side of the court.
It’s an incredibly fun game and even if you don’t know all the rules right off the bat, then you can still have fun and get a good workout in while playing. You don’t need to be super fit to play the game, as long as the people you’re playing with are relatively evenly matched in terms of fitness levels.
PriceCheck tip: Playing padel in tennis shorts will be the most comfortable option, and thankfully, you can find the best deals on tennis gear and clothing on PriceCheck.
If you don’t have all the gear you need for a game of padel, don’t stress, as most padel venues offer padel balls and padel bats for hire when you arrive. Booking a padel court costs about R400 for a 60-minute session or R600 for a 90-minute session, depending on the venue. Hiring a padel bat usually costs R50 per bat per session.
But, be warned after a few sessions you will want to invest in your own padel tennis equipment to ensure you can play as often as possible. Buying your own padel racquet is a great investment if you play regularly, but be sure to shop around for the best price on padel racquets before deciding on the one that suits your budget. The racquets can vary in price from R800 for a fibreglass padel bat to upwards of R5,000 for a carbon fibre padel racquet.
