Spain: Cradle of World’s Fastest Rising Sport- Padel
Padel is a growing international sensation. Let’s fly into the Latin country of music and love to understand why Spanish people love padel so much. I mean, what’s there not to love, right?
Today, over 4 million padel amateur athletes play padel in more than 20,000 Spanish padel courts. This country is known for its flamenco music and exceptional dances, pristine beaches, and exciting bullfights. But what many people don’t know is that this place is also the center of padel tennis.
Spain is home to renowned world-class top athletes for sports like football, tennis, and padel. There’s no denying that this sport is a household name because there are so many padel centers in different Spain cities.
How exactly did padel get to Spain?
Enrique Corcuera built the first padel court in Guadalajara, Mexico, in the late 1960s. He invited his rich pals to play padel, and it instantly became the latest fad amongst the Mexican elite.
Bohemian aristocrat Alfonso De Hohenlohe founded the Marbella club in 1954 as a private residence and meeting place for the European elite. Hohenlohe became Marbella’s father figure and built Europe’s first padel club in 1974. What happened next was history. Now padel has become a household sport in Spain.
Let’s analyze why people from all over the world, not only Spain, love these games. One of the key reasons is that learning to play padel is relatively easy, and players improve quickly. This game becomes addicting, and once you get a hold of that first racquet swing, it’s a guarantee you’ll be coming back to court in no time!
You don’t have to be a top athlete to enjoy padel.
What makes padel a household name in Spain is that it’s a social sport. These people are known for being tight with family, and what better to spend some quality time with friends and family than through this exciting sport.
Grandpas and children can wield the padel racket. There’s really no age limit.
Padel also requires less physical effort than its twin sport, tennis. No wonder a lot of athletes switch from tennis to padel. Being not a very demanding sport physically or technology makes it something everybody can play and enjoy
Parents love padel for their children. The PTA-council-of-moms approves!
You know it’s a good sport when parents enroll their kids into padel summer classes. I mean, what’s not to love? It’s a game you can start very young.
Plus, it’s good for developing hand-eye coordination and promoting teamwork. Let’s not even get started with how easy it is to learn to do rallies which make the game fun and enjoyable for kids.
This social game is the perfect bonding activity. Maybe a great date idea too!
Spanish people are known to love their siesta time. These hard-working folks know that they deserve to relax and unwind with their friends and family. This is why padel being a social sport, became such a hit in Spain.
You have two doubles teams in a small court, which makes social conversation between players an integral part of the game and, in the meantime, allows you to meet new people. For a country with big parties and prominent families, it’s not surprising for abuelito to bring his padel racquet at his granddaughter’s quinceañera.
