The Rise Of Padel

Picture from Temple of padel

Recently I have treated many patients who play padel and got injured. I think padel is definitely the latest 'flavour' of the month.

What is padel? It is a sport played with rackets that combines elements of tennis and squash. It takes place in an enclosed court (pictured below) about one third the size of a tennis court. Similar to squash, players can bounce the balls off the walls of the court allowing for rebounds. 

Picture from Lippi et al (20220

Padel was invented in 1969 by *Enrique Corcuera when he and his wife Viviana were in their new vacation holiday home in Acapulco, Mexico. To pass time, the wealthy couple began throwing a ball at the wall and Viviana quickly fell in love with the easy version of the game. Enrique got builders to build a 20m by 10m cement court against the backdrop of the Pacific ocean. 

The court was closed completely to prevent the balls from falling outside due to the unpleasant memory Enrique had while attending boarding school in England. He said he suffered from being in the cold while looking for balls that fell outside the school court.

Over time glass walls and artificial turf replaced the concrete so spectators could watch the game.

Padel racquet picture from Decathlon

Played mostly in doubles (although singles can be played), with solid stringless racquets(above) and a similar tennis ball but with less pressure. Players serve underarm and the ball must bounce once before being returned. The scoring system is similar to tennis.

From the patients that I have seen, there has been little evidence of play patterns and training regimes. It is a high intensity intermittent sport with less demanding requirements when played in recreational settings, which can hide the risk of injury.

The majority of padel injuries I have seen are mostly in the lower limbs. Padel players usually have to shift their stance and require strong leg power to shift the upper body quickly. Achilles tendon injuries and ankle sprains are common when the patient executes a quick change in direction.

There were also upper limb injuries affecting the shoulder and elbow. This is not surprising due to the nature of overhead strokes (e.g. smashes). Since the court is smaller, this increases the frequency of shots taken. This greater repetition of the abduction-extention movements of the arm would explain the upper limb injuries.

A Swedish study (Thornland et al, 2021) suggested that the smaller size court along with the proximity of the players, the size and speed of the ball and the unpredictability of ball bounces would increase the risk of injuries.They proposed the use of protective eyewear.

Viviana Corcuera believes padel took off quickly because it can be enjoyed by the entire family. Grandparents can play with their children and grandchildren which brings the family together. There are estimated to be over 30 million players worldwide. 

Perhaps padel may even surpass Hyrox in terms of popularity in Singapore. This is my prediction for this year. Let's see ....

References

Demeco A, deSire A, Marotta N et al (2022). Match Analysis, Physical Training, Risk Of Injury, Risk Of Injury And Rehabilitation In Padel: Overview Of The Literature. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 19:413. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19074153

Thornland C and Jakobsson G (2021).  Eye Injuries Related To Padel. Lakartidningen. 118:21001. PMID:34156668

*In the 1960's and 70's, Acapulco was a major destination for Hollywood's stars and that is probably where padel's popularity with celebrities began. Even the American diplomat Henry Kissinger played when he visited as did many high profile visitors. Prince Alfonso developed a passion for the game in 1974 after holidaying with the Corcueras. He built 2 padel courts in Marbella, that's how the game crossed the Atlantic.

David Beckham, Serena Williams and even French President Emmanuel Macron consider themselves fans of padel. Meanwhile in sunny Singapore, Ronaldo and two of our ministers share a padel moment.

Picture from the Daily Mail