Why Everyone Suddenly Has Padel Fever (And What to Know Before You Book a Court)
If your group chat has mentioned padel three times this month, you're not imagining it. The sport is having a moment, and it's not just a vibe — there's real money behind it.
The US-based Pro Padel League closed a $15 million Series A round in March, led by Charlotte Hornets co-chair Rick Schnall, on top of a $10 million seed round the year before. The celebrity roster backing it reads like a group chat of its own: reggaeton star Daddy Yankee owns the league's Florida Goats, tennis pro Frances Tiafoe and polo star Nacho Figueras have backed the New York Atlantics, and Carmelo Anthony's investment firm is in the mix too. Add in August's usual seasonal spike in searches for padel gear and court bookings, and you've got the perfect setup for a club packed with total beginners.
If that's you — welcome. Here's everything you need to walk in looking like you've done this before, even if it's your first time.
Padel vs. tennis vs. pickleball, at a glance
All three involve a net and a ball, and that's about where the family resemblance stops being useful. Here's the fast version:
Court size: Padel courts are enclosed and about a third the size of a tennis court — roughly 20 by 10 meters. Pickleball courts are smaller still and open-air, closer to a badminton court. Tennis courts are the biggest of the three, no walls involved.
Walls: This is padel's whole identity. The court is surrounded by glass and mesh, and the ball stays live off the glass after it bounces on the ground — so a point isn't over just because the ball got past you. Tennis and pickleball have no walls in play at all.
Paddles vs. rackets: Padel and pickleball both use solid paddles with no strings. Padel paddles have holes punched through them; pickleball paddles don't. Tennis is the only one of the three with a strung racket.
Serve: All three require an underhand serve — this is actually where padel and pickleball are closest cousins, and both differ from tennis's overhead serve.
Format: Padel is essentially always doubles — you won't find singles padel at a casual club. Pickleball and tennis both offer singles and doubles.
If you've played tennis, the scoring will feel instantly familiar. If you've played pickleball, the underhand serve and paddle will feel familiar. Padel borrows a little from both and adds the glass.
The scoring, without the headache
Good news: padel scoring is identical to tennis, so if you already know that system, skip this section entirely.
Points go 15, 30, 40, game.
If both teams hit 40, that's deuce — one team then needs to win two points in a row to take the game.
A set goes to whichever team wins six games first, with at least a two-game lead. Reach 6-6, and you play a tiebreak to seven points.
Matches are typically best of three sets.
The one quirk worth knowing before you serve: it's always underhand, hit at or below waist height, after bouncing the ball once on your own side. You get two attempts, just like a tennis double fault rule, and the serve has to land diagonally in the opponent's service box. After that first bounce, the ball is allowed to hit the back or side glass and stay in play — but it has to bounce on the ground before it touches the glass, not the other way around. Hit the wall or mesh directly without a bounce first, and the point's over.
What to wear and bring
Padel doesn't demand much specialty gear to try it once, but a few things make the first session smoother:
Shoes matter more than you'd think. Courts are usually artificial turf with a sand infill, and padel involves a lot of quick lateral movement. Running shoes will slide. If you're going to play more than once, padel-specific or all-court shoes are worth it; for a first try, a flat-soled court or turf shoe is a fine stand-in.
A padel racket, if you don't own one — most clubs rent them, so you don't need to buy anything before your first session.
Padel balls, which look like tennis balls but are slightly less pressurized. Clubs typically supply these.
Comfortable, breathable clothing you can move in — nothing padel-specific required here.
Eyewear, if you wear glasses regularly, since balls come off the glass at unpredictable angles more than they do in open-court sports.
Water. Points can run long once the glass gets involved, and matches take longer than they look from outside.
Etiquette so you don't feel lost
Walking into a packed club for the first time is the most intimidating part, not the sport itself. A few unwritten rules will make you look like less of a newcomer:
Doubles only, so communicate. Call the ball early and loudly if you're taking it — collisions with your partner are the most common rookie mistake, more so than any wall-related confusion.
Let the serve bounce. As the receiver, you have to let the serve hit the ground before returning it — don't take it out of the air even if it looks tempting.
Side switches happen on odd games, not every game, so don't be the one crossing over at the wrong time.
Retrieve balls that land outside the court promptly — padel courts have exit doors for exactly this, and other courts nearby are often tight on space.
Keep between-point pace reasonable. Clubs are often booked back-to-back in 90-minute slots during peak season, and a slow pace holds up whoever's waiting for the court next.
Compliment good shots, especially off the glass. It's a genuinely social sport, and acknowledging a nice angle or a good defensive save off the back wall is part of the culture, not just politeness.
The bottom line
Padel's growth isn't hype without substance behind it — real capital and recognizable names are betting on the sport's staying power in the US, and clubs are feeling that demand this summer. The rules are more forgiving than tennis, the walls make points last longer and feel more forgiving of mistakes, and the doubles format means you're never carrying a court by yourself. Book a beginner session, borrow a racket, and expect to feel a little lost for the first ten minutes — everyone does.