Padel is tennis performed inside a glass field, and it’s one of many quickest racket sports activities to select up. The serve is underarm, the courtroom is a few third the scale of a tennis courtroom, and the partitions preserve the ball in play, so novices get actual rallies of their first hour. Greater than 90,000 Australians have already tried it.
Right here’s what padel is, the principles you want, the way it compares with pickleball and tennis, whether or not it’s a correct exercise, and the place to play in each Australian capital.
- What it’s: a racket sport, normally doubles, on an enclosed courtroom the place the partitions are a part of the sport
- Courtroom: 20 m x 10 m, with 3 m partitions at every finish and mesh fencing as much as 4 m
- Serve: underarm, after a bounce, hit at or beneath the waist
- Scoring: the identical as tennis: 15, 30, 40, video games and units
- Racket: stable, no strings, perforated with holes, now not than 45.5 cm
- Ball: like a tennis ball, with barely much less strain
- In Australia: 37 venues on Padel Australia’s courtroom finder, in 5 states and the ACT
What’s padel?
A mixture of tennis and squash. 4 gamers, two a facet, hit a low-bounce ball over a internet with stable rackets. The courtroom is enclosed: glass partitions at every finish and mesh fencing alongside the perimeters. As soon as the ball has bounced in your facet, you’ll be able to play it off the glass, which retains rallies going far longer than in tennis.
It’s spreading quick. The Worldwide Padel Federation’s 2026 World Padel Report places it at greater than 40 million gamers. In Australia, Padel Australia reported in December 2025 that greater than 90,000 individuals had performed, up 50% on the yr earlier than. Each are the game’s personal figures, so deal with them as a route of journey, not impartial counts. In August 2026, Pat Rafter introduced padel to the Sydney Opera Home.
Padel guidelines: the fundamentals
From the Worldwide Padel Federation rulebook (2026 version) and Padel Australia:
- The serve: bounce the ball behind the service line and hit it underarm, at or beneath the waist. It goes diagonally into the other service field, like tennis, and also you get two possibilities.
- A serve that hits the glass is sweet. One which hits the mesh is a fault. If it bounces within the field after which hits the fencing, it’s out.
- Let it bounce as soon as: the receiver should let the serve bounce. After that, you’ll be able to volley or play the ball off the bounce.
- The partitions: after the ball bounces in your facet, it could actually hit your partitions or mesh and you may nonetheless return it. It’s also possible to hit your return off your personal glass. Your shot should land within the opponents’ courtroom earlier than it touches their partitions or mesh.
- You lose the purpose if the ball bounces twice in your facet, you hit it into the web, or your shot hits the opponents’ wall or fence earlier than their floor.
- Scoring: 15, 30, 40, sport. Six video games wins a set (by two), with a tie-break at 6-6, and matches are normally better of three units. Many social video games and a few competitions use “golden level”: at 40-40, the following level wins the sport.
Padel vs pickleball
They’re the 2 fastest-rising racket sports activities, each largely performed as doubles, they usually get blended up on a regular basis. The large distinction is the partitions: pickleball has none.
| Padel | Pickleball | |
|---|---|---|
| Courtroom | 20 x 10 m | 44 x 20 ft (13.4 x 6.1 m) |
| Partitions | Glass and mesh, in play | None |
| Ball | Low-pressure tennis-style ball | Mild plastic ball with holes |
| Racket | Stable, perforated, max 45.5 cm | Flat paddle, no holes |
| Serve | Underarm, after a bounce | Underarm |
| Scoring | Like tennis | To 11, win by 2; solely the serving facet scores |
| Particular rule | Play the ball off the partitions | No volleying from the 7 ft “kitchen” by the web |
Our learn: pickleball is the gentler sport, all delicate contact on the kitchen line. Padel is quicker and extra athletic, as a result of the partitions preserve factors alive and also you’re all the time shifting again for balls coming off the glass. If you would like a exercise, choose padel.
Padel vs tennis
Padel makes use of tennis scoring and an identical ball, however virtually the whole lot else makes it simpler to start out. The courtroom is a few third the scale of a tennis courtroom, the serve is underarm, and the partitions provide you with a second likelihood at balls that might be winners in tennis. Our learn: a complete newbie will rally in padel lengthy earlier than they’d in tennis, and ex-tennis gamers choose it up quick, although most must unlearn swinging at the whole lot and study to let the ball come off the glass.
Is padel an excellent exercise?
Sure, at a good degree. A assessment of 13 research overlaying 231 gamers discovered coronary heart charges averaged round 70 to 80% of most throughout matches, with massive variations between ranges (Frontiers in Sports activities and Energetic Dwelling). That’s stable cardio work, with fixed brief sprints, stops and turns.
It gained’t exchange energy coaching, and a mild social hit isn’t an interval session. However it’s a simple approach so as to add an hour of exhausting motion that doesn’t really feel like cardio. Heat up your shoulders and calves first: you’ll be lunging and twisting from the primary level.
The place to play padel in Australia
These golf equipment are from Padel Australia’s courtroom finder, checked 13 November 2026. New golf equipment open usually, so test the finder for the newest. Hobart and Darwin had none listed.
Padel in Sydney
| Membership (suburb) | Courts |
|---|---|
| Indoor Padel Sydney (Alexandria) | 18 (16 indoor) |
| Padel Membership (North Rocks) | 6 indoor |
| Racqueteer (Lidcombe) | 6 indoor |
| Padel Spot (Minto) | 6 indoor |
| Play Nation (Smeaton Grange) | 6 indoor |
| Sidewall Social Padel Membership (Marrickville) | 5 indoor |
| Tribe Padel Sydney (North Ryde) | 5 outside |
| Indoor Padel Northern Seashores (Cromer) | 4 indoor |
| Padel Level (Bankstown Aerodrome) | 4 indoor |
| Sydney Racquet Membership (Moore Park) | 3 outside |
Padel in Melbourne
| Membership (suburb) | Courts |
|---|---|
| Game4Padel (Port Melbourne) | 9 indoor |
| Game4Padel (Docklands) | 7 outside |
| Tribe Padel & Wellness (Bayside) | 7 indoor |
| Game4Padel (Richmond) | 6 outside |
| Colosso Brighton (Brighton East) | 6 outside |
| Nordic Padel (Tullamarine) | 5 indoor |
| Recess Padel Membership (Port Melbourne) | 5 (4 indoor) |
| iPadel Reservoir (Reservoir) | 4 outside |
| South East Padel (Noble Park) | 3 outside |
| Colosso Westfield Southland (Cheltenham) | 3 outside |
Padel in Brisbane and Queensland
| Membership (suburb) | Courts |
|---|---|
| Padel Brisbane (The Hole) | 4 outside |
| Padel Logan (Meadowbrook) | 4 outside |
| Padel Gold Coast at KDV (Carrara) | 6 outside |
| Racquet Membership Gold Coast (Robina) | 4 outside |
| Ace Padel Golf equipment (Forest Glen, Sunshine Coast) | 4 indoor |
Padel in Perth
| Membership (suburb) | Courts |
|---|---|
| Padel Crush (Wembley) | 4 outside |
| West Coast Padel (Dalkeith) | 3 outside |
| Padel Perth Reabold (Floreat) | 3 outside |
| Padel West (Melville) | 2 outside |
| Padel360 Cockburn (Yangebup) | Not listed |
Padel in Adelaide and Canberra
| Membership (suburb) | Courts |
|---|---|
| Padel Match (Thebarton, Adelaide) | 3 indoor, 1 outside |
| Voyager Playford (Elizabeth East, Adelaide) | 4 outside |
| Canberra Racquet Membership (Fyshwick) | 6 indoor |
Padel FAQ
What’s padel?
A racket sport, normally performed as doubles, on a 20 x 10 m courtroom enclosed by glass partitions and mesh. It makes use of tennis scoring, an underarm serve and stable rackets, and you may play the ball off the partitions.
Is padel the identical as pickleball?
No. Pickleball has no partitions, a smaller courtroom, a plastic ball with holes and its personal scoring to 11. Padel is performed in a glass-walled field with a tennis-style ball and tennis scoring.
How massive is a padel courtroom?
20 m lengthy and 10 m broad inside. The online is 88 cm excessive within the center and 92 cm on the ends.
Is padel simpler than tennis?
To begin, sure. The smaller courtroom, underarm serve and partitions imply novices rally rapidly. Enjoying it effectively, studying the glass and dealing with a companion takes for much longer.
The place can I play padel in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Perth?
See the membership tables above, or Padel Australia’s courtroom finder for the newest. Sydney’s largest venue is Indoor Padel Sydney in Alexandria (18 courts), and Melbourne’s is Game4Padel in Port Melbourne (9 indoor courts).