The History of Padel: From Mexico to the UK

Every sport has an origin story, and padel's is more accidental than most. It did not emerge from a governing body's committee or a university sports science department. It was invented by one person, at their home, because of a practical constraint — and the constraints turned out to be the best thing about it.

The invention: Mexico, 1969

In 1969, Enrique Corcuera — a Mexican businessman — wanted to build a tennis court at his holiday home in Acapulco. The space available was not large enough for a full tennis court. Rather than abandon the idea, Corcuera built a smaller court and incorporated the existing walls of his property into the playing area.

He borrowed the scoring system from tennis and the concept of wall play from platform tennis, a sport he had encountered through American contacts. The result was something neither sport, but playable and — critically — extremely enjoyable to beginners. The enclosed space, the forgiving walls, and the doubles format created a social dynamic that traditional tennis courts rarely achieved.

Corcuera played on his court with friends and family through the early 1970s. The court became a social institution, and the visitors who played there took the idea home with them.

Spain adopts the sport: the 1970s

The most significant figure in padel's early spread was Alfonso de Hohenlohe, a Spanish-German aristocrat and entrepreneur who played at Corcuera's home and immediately recognised the sport's appeal. In 1974, de Hohenlohe built the first two padel courts in Europe at the Marbella Club, one of Spain's most prestigious resort developments on the Costa del Sol.

Marbella was an ideal launchpad. The club attracted wealthy European visitors throughout the year, and padel — easy to learn, social, playable in heat — became a fixture of the resort's leisure offer. From there it spread to Madrid and Barcelona, initially through private clubs catering to the same social milieu.

By the late 1970s, padel was establishing itself beyond the resort circuit and into mainstream Spanish sporting culture. The sport's affordability compared to golf, its accessibility compared to tennis, and its social format compared to squash all contributed to its broad appeal. Argentina — with strong cultural ties to Spain and an active Spanish expatriate community — adopted the sport at roughly the same time, and Buenos Aires became the second major centre of padel development.

Professional structure emerges: the 1980s and 1990s

Spain's Royal Padel Federation was formed in 1986, giving the sport institutional structure for the first time. Argentina followed with its own federation, and by the early 1990s the first professional padel circuit had been established in Spain: the World Padel Tour (WPT), which ran continuously from its founding until 2022.

The WPT operated primarily in Spain with a Spanish-speaking audience, but the quality of competition developed rapidly. Argentine players dominated the men's game for much of this period, producing multiple world champions. Spanish women dominated the women's circuit. The combination of Argentine power and Spanish technique defined the high-level game for decades.

The International Padel Federation (FIP) was founded in 1991, providing the sport with a global governing body and the framework for international competition. FIP world rankings began in the same period, allowing national federations to identify and develop competitive players on a consistent basis.

The global expansion: 2000s to 2015

Outside Spain and Argentina, padel grew steadily through South America, Scandinavia, and the Middle East during the 2000s. Sweden and Norway became unlikely padel hotbeds — the enclosed courts suited cold climates, and Scandinavian sports cultures were receptive to social doubles formats.

Italy, France, and Portugal developed significant padel communities. Professional players from these countries began appearing at the top of the WPT rankings alongside the traditional Spanish and Argentine elite. The sport had become genuinely multinational at the professional level by 2010.

In the UK, padel existed in pockets — primarily at tennis clubs that had seen the sport during visits to Spain and installed one or two courts. The LTA took formal notice and began structured support from approximately 2013, establishing a padel committee and initiating a court-building programme. Early UK padel was still a niche product at this stage; the community was small, the courts sparse, and public awareness minimal.

Premier Padel and the professional revolution: 2022

In 2022, a significant structural change reshaped professional padel. The FIP and a consortium of investors — including Qatar Sports Investments — launched Premier Padel, a new elite circuit intended to operate alongside and eventually above the existing World Padel Tour. The launch attracted the world's top players, significant broadcast deals, and prize money levels far beyond anything the WPT had offered.

The resulting transition was turbulent. Some players signed exclusive contracts with the WPT; others moved to Premier Padel. The sport effectively had two competing professional structures for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. By 2024, a merger and restructuring had resolved the situation: Premier Padel became the sport's flagship circuit, and the WPT was absorbed into a restructured FIP ecosystem renamed the Cupra FIP Tour.

The resolution created a coherent professional structure — Premier Padel at the top, the Cupra FIP Tour as the developmental circuit beneath it — and significantly increased the sport's visibility in non-traditional markets. UK coverage improved markedly: Premier Padel events in London, combined with Red Bull TV streaming deals, brought professional padel to a British mainstream audience for the first time.

Padel in the UK today

The UK's padel story from 2015 onwards is one of exceptional growth. The LTA's 400-venue target — considered ambitious when announced — was surpassed, with the UK passing 1,000 registered venues and 2,400 courts by 2025. Investment in padel infrastructure came from private operators (LTA Padel, Padium, Rocket Padel, Padel Box, and dozens of independent operators), tennis clubs converting under-used courts, and leisure centres diversifying their sport offer.

Participation growth has been consistent at 30 to 40 per cent year-on-year. The player profile is broad: padel has proved attractive to former tennis players, fitness enthusiasts, and social groups seeking an alternative to golf or squash. The doubles format appeals particularly to workplace groups and older recreational players who find singles racket sports physically demanding.

British players have begun making an impression on the international circuit — most notably in the women's game, where Catherine Rose has become one of the highest-ranked British players on the FIP Tour. The player profiles section tracks current world rankings including all British professionals.

The getting started guide covers everything a UK beginner needs to play their first session — finding a court, what to bring, and what to expect. The what is padel guide explains the sport's mechanics for anyone who has heard of it but not yet played. For the full rulebook, the rules of padel guide covers every regulation from the serve to the tiebreak.

Padel took 55 years to arrive in force in the UK. It is not leaving.