Pushing the padel: Why this tennis-squash hybrid is catching urban imagination

Time of India

16 hours ago

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Gurgaon: The thwack of balls against glass walls echoes through an air-conditioned container-like structure, sitting in the middle of a large spread of empty plot. Inside, players dart across courts, wielding what appears to be a hybrid between a tennis racquet and a table tennis paddle.
Forty-love, calls out the referee. The court, in a glass enclosure, resembles squash.
What are we watching?
This is the world of padel, the latest racquet sport to capture urban imaginations. Delhi-based lawyer Daksha Arora (34) had never played a racquet sport before. But now, she's a regular at Rulo Club in Panchsheel Park. "I play padel thrice a week. Initially, I had started with pickleball, but the sound of the plastic ball irked me.
I saw people playing padel in the adjacent court and got hooked to it with time," she says.
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The tennis-squash hybrid — played on a 20x10m court enclosed by glass walls — is quietly changing the way urban residents approach recreational sports. The game uses a foam and optical fibre racquet with holes instead of strings, making it lighter and more manageable than its tennis counterpart. Players initiate rallies with underhand serves, and the glass walls become part of strategic gameplay — if the ball hits the opposition's glass wall directly, you earn a point.
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But if it bounces off during play, the rally continues.
Padel has been around. It originated in Mexico in the last 60s and became Spain's second-most popular sport after soccer. Its journey in India began only a decade ago. But over the last 12 months, padel's popularity has been witnessing a surge. "Today, there are 40 padel courts in Delhi-NCR. In the last three months alone, we added 18 courts," says Suhail Narain, founder of Hudle, which facilitates court bookings.
Gurgaon, with its indoor courts, has many padel enthusiasts sweating it out, providing a recreation sport alternative to tennis, badminton and pickleball, guaranteeing good cardio and a workout for those muscles.
Padel Rushh, located in Sector 65, has air-cooled courts and coaching programmes. "We see a balanced mix — around 40% beginners, 40% intermediate, and 20% advanced players," says Mrigya Sharma, co-founder of the club.
The club's efforts have not gone unnoticed. Headed by Darpan Vasudev, Padel Rushh represented India in the Euro Padel League for the first time this year. The club also hosts in-house tournaments and participates in intercity league exchanges, further cementing its role in the sport's growth.
The Indian Padel Federation (IPF) has been instrumental in promoting the sport across the country. Ronnie Sehgal, general secretary of IPF, traces the sport's roots in India to a tennis exchange programme.
Sneha Abraham Sehgal, president of IPF, discovered padel in Spain and was determined to introduce it to India, leading to the installation of the first padel court in Bengaluru in 2016.
But it was the pandemic-induced lockdown that proved to be a turning point for padel in the country. While most sports were restricted in the UAE, padel thrived. This led to a surge in interest among Indians living in or visiting Dubai. The enthusiasm gradually spread back home.
Today, it's showing in the increase in the number of padel courts in cities.
Padel is also attracting corporate interest. Last year, JSW Sports backed Padel Park in a funding round to expand franchise centres. It's Mumbai that currently boasts the most vibrant padel scene, with celebrities like David Beckham, MS Dhoni, Alia Bhatt, and Varun Dhawan adding to the sport's allure in courts there.
The sport's growth, however, is not without challenges.
Setting up a padel court can be expensive, with costs ranging from Rs 16 lakh to Rs 22 lakh.
Nikhil Sachdev, co-founder of Padel Park India, acknowledges the financial barriers, but is optimistic about the sport's potential. "In the last 18 months, we've installed about 150 padel courts across the country," he says.
IPF has initiated efforts to make padel more affordable, particularly in Tier 2 cities. "We're working with clubs to encourage more inclusive pricing and community engagement," says Sehgal.
The federation, he adds, is also focused on developing international-level coaching to produce advanced players capable of competing on the world stage by 2026.
For many, padel is more than just a sport — it's a lifestyle. Karan Singh Chabbra, a brand consultant, sees padel as a social activity that brings people together. "Now, there are padel courts, and there are cafes on the side. So, people come, they sip coffee, they talk, they play a game, they come back and spend the day," he says.
Whether it's a fun alternative to cardio or a serious athletic pursuit, padel is carving out a niche for itself — slowly but steadily.
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