History of Padel
From a Mexican Invention to a Global Phenomenon
The history of padel began in the 1960s, when Mexican businessman Enrique Corcuera developed the sport at his holiday home in Acapulco. He built a 10 x 20-metre court surrounded by walls, inspired by platform tennis, which had already established a modest following. Corcuera’s vision led to the creation of a sport that was both accessible and engaging. He called his version “Paddle Corcuera,” introducing specialised padel rackets and balls that were easier to handle than traditional tennis equipment, making the game approachable for all ages and skill levels.
From Corcuera’s court in Mexico, padel’s journey to international prominence began when Spanish friends of Corcuera brought the sport to Spain. In the 1970s, the first two European padel courts were constructed at a tennis club in Marbella, sparking a new sporting trend among the affluent residents of the Costa del Sol. The sport’s popularity soared, spreading beyond Spain’s borders to Argentina, where it captured the public’s imagination and became an integral part of the sporting culture.
Today, Spain stands as the global heartland of padel, with the sport ranking as the second most popular sport in the country, only behind football. Since 2010, padel has experienced exponential growth worldwide, being recognised by major publications, such as The Telegraph, as one of the fastest-growing sports on the planet. Over the past decade, more than 10,000 new courts have been constructed, and 3,000 clubs have been established across the globe—an impressive expansion rate of nearly 29 new clubs opening each week.
Padel’s explosive rise has made it a major sport across Europe, particularly in Spain, Italy, Sweden, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Portugal. The sport is also gaining significant momentum in the Middle East and is on an upward trajectory in the UK, where dedicated padel communities are quickly forming and new courts are being constructed to meet growing demand.
