Padel is often described as a mix of tennis and squash, and that is a fair starting point. It borrows tennis scoring, adds glass walls you can play off, and packs everything into a smaller, friendlier space. If you already love tennis (or have never picked up a racket in your life), here is exactly how the two compare.
The court and the walls
This is the biggest difference, and it changes everything about how the game feels.
- A padel court is enclosed, roughly 20m by 10m, and surrounded by glass walls and metal mesh fencing. A tennis court is open, with no walls, and considerably larger.
- In padel, the ball stays in play after it bounces off the glass, much like in squash. You can let a ball pass you, wait for it to rebound off the back wall, and play it back. In tennis, a ball that goes past you or hits a fence is simply gone.
- Padel courts are always set up for doubles. The smaller space, divided by a net, is shared by four players.
Those walls are the heart of padel's appeal. Rallies last longer, the ball keeps coming back, and you spend far more time actually hitting than chasing.
The racket
Tennis and padel rackets are built on completely different principles.
- A padel racket (often called a "bat" or "pala") is solid and stringless. It is a perforated composite surface with holes drilled through it, no strings at all.
- It is shorter than a tennis racket and has no long handle and head; it is compact and easy to manoeuvre.
- A tennis racket has a strung head and a longer frame, designed to generate power and spin over a large open court.
The solid padel racket is more forgiving on off-centre hits and less tiring on the wrist and arm, which is part of why beginners settle in so quickly.
The ball and the scoring
Padel uses a ball that looks almost identical to a tennis ball but has slightly lower internal pressure, so it bounces a touch less. The difference is subtle but noticeable.
Scoring is where the two sports feel most familiar. Padel follows tennis scoring almost exactly:
- Points run 15, 30, 40, then game.
- Deuce and advantage work the same way.
- You play games, then sets, usually best of three.
If you can keep score in tennis, you can keep score in padel from day one.
The serve
Here is a difference that genuinely surprises tennis players. In padel, the serve is underarm. You bounce the ball once on the ground, then strike it below waist height, hitting diagonally into the opponent's service box.
There is no towering overhead serve, no booming aces, and no double-fault anxiety driven by a complicated motion. The underarm serve is far easier to learn, and it keeps the focus on the rally rather than on one explosive shot.
Why padel is easier to pick up
Put all of this together and you can see why so many people are hooked after a single session:
- The smaller court means less running and less ground to cover.
- The solid racket is intuitive and forgiving.
- The underarm serve removes the hardest shot in tennis.
- The walls keep the ball in play, so rallies build naturally and beginners get plenty of touches.
Tennis rewards years of technical practice before it feels fluid. Padel gives you enjoyable, competitive rallies almost immediately.
A social, doubles-only game
Finally, padel is sociable by design. Because it is always played as doubles on a compact court, you are sharing the experience with three other people from the first point to the last. There is constant talking, tactics, and laughter. Tennis can be played one-on-one and often feels more solitary; padel is built around four people having fun together.
That blend of low barrier to entry and built-in social energy is exactly why padel has spread so fast, and why Onward Padel thinks it is the most welcoming racket sport going. Grab three friends and try it; you will be rallying within minutes.
