Many people think that padel is a newly created sport, and while it is true that it started gaining traction in South Africa in 2019, it has actually been played for several decades in Spanish-speaking countries such as Spain and Argentina, having been created in the 1960s in Mexico!
Origins in Mexico
In 1969, Enrique Corcuera, a Mexican businessman and fan of frontón – a sport that involves hitting a ball against a wall using hands, a racket, or a basket – decided to adapt a space in his estate in Acapulco to create a new sport. He built a 20-meter-long by 10-meter-wide court, surrounded by three-meter-high walls and a net in the center. Initially, the rules were similar to those of tennis, but with the particularity that the walls were incorporated into the game.
Expansion to Spain and South America
Alfonso de Hohenlohe, a Spanish businessman with ventures in Marbella (a tourist city in southern Spain) and a friend of Corcuera, visited his house in Acapulco in 1974 and became fascinated by this new sport. Upon returning to Spain, he built the first two padel courts at the Marbella Club, adapting the rules and court design. This initiative attracted tennis personalities such as Manolo Santana, contributing to the spread of padel in Spain.
Meanwhile, an Argentine businessman, after discovering padel in Marbella, introduced the sport to Argentina in 1975. Padel quickly gained popularity, becoming one of the most practiced sports in the country.
Professionalization and International Expansion
During the 1980s, padel experienced exponential growth in Argentina, with the organization of numerous tournaments and the professionalization of players. In 1988, the first international championship was held in Mar del Plata, bringing together the best duos from Argentina and Spain.
By the late 1990s, Spain became the global hub of padel, and the sport continued to expand. Courts were also built in countries such as Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, France, the United States, and Canada, solidifying padel as a global sport.
Several sports personalities contributed to this expansion, such as Diego Maradona, who in the 1990s had a padel court built in his home in Naples during his time at Napoli, or more recently Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has played a key role in promoting padel in Sweden.
Today, athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo or Rafael Nadal have invested significant amounts in padel, and courts can now be found in almost every country in the world.
Current Situation
Nowadays, padel is played by millions of people, not only in Spain or Argentina, but worldwide. With exponential year-on-year growth, it has become the fastest-growing sport today.
This article provides a general overview of padel’s history. In future articles, we will delve deeper into other aspects of the sport, such as the evolution of padel courts, equipment, international competitions, and more.
