Padel is a young sport, as it has barely been 50 years since its creation. However, it is a sport that has spread throughout the world, crossing borders in an impressive way, to the extent of being the most popular sport in some regions. Currently, padel is considered the trendiest sport, but not many people know its origins. Therefore, we tell you the five most curious facts about the origin of padel.

Padel originated in Mexico

The birth of padel dates back to the 1960s, specifically in 1969. Enrique Corcuera, a Mexican businessman who was a tennis enthusiast, is considered the creator of padel. According to Corcuera, this happened accidentally, as he installed a 20 x 10-meter court in his house in Acapulco, Mexico, and put side walls on it just to prevent the balls from crossing into the neighbor's property. In this way, he realized that the ball bounced off the walls, which made the game more fluid and fun. At that time, Enrique had no idea that this improvised idea would become one of the most popular sports in the world.

The first padel rackets were made of wood

This is one of the most interesting facts about the origin of padel. During the first years, all rackets were made of wood. This meant that back then, the rackets were heavy and rigid, but players didn't know any different. Over the years, and with technological advances and players' demands, brands began to use softer materials for manufacturing padel rackets. Gradually, materials such as Eva rubber for the core and carbon and glass fibers for the exterior began to be used.

The word "pádel" comes from the English "paddle"

The term "pádel" comes from the English word "paddle," which literally means "racket" or "bat," hence the name given to a padel racket. In fact, in the United States, there is a sport called "paddle tennis," but it is played on a smaller court, with a lower and smaller net, and using a paddle instead of a racket. However, with the creation of this new sport and being very similar to the American sport, the term was Hispanized.

Spain became the world capital of padel

Although padel was born in Mexico, Spain is currently the country that plays the most padel. After his idea, Enrique Corcuera was also responsible for padel moving to Spain in the early 1970s, as he began to invite his Spanish friends, who brought this sport to their homeland. Prince Alfonso de Hohenlohe-Langenburg, who was a friend of Corcuera, was one of the key pieces for the growth of padel in Spanish territory; thanks to him, the first two padel courts in Spain were built. Currently, Spain is considered the capital of padel, where this sport is the most popular, only behind football. It is the country with the most federated players, the most padel courts and clubs, and the place where most fans go to watch professional padel.

Padel has spread throughout the world

After the boom of padel in Spain, this sport began to spread to other parts of the world. Another country that plays a lot of padel is Argentina, which is actually considered the country with the most padel players after Spain. The best players of the World Padel Tour are Argentinian or Spanish. The arrival of padel in Argentina was one of the triggers for its spread throughout the American continent. Currently, the countries that practice padel the most in this region of the world (not counting Argentina) are Mexico, Brazil, and Chile. However, we cannot deny that Europe is the continent that experiences padel the most, especially due to its proximity to Spain. In European territory, the countries with the most padel are Italy, France, Portugal, Sweden, and the Netherlands. The countries we have named are those with the most passion for padel, but that does not mean they are the only ones. Currently, it is known that there are 45 Padel Federations in the world, meaning it is officially practiced in 45 countries. In addition, padel is present on all five continents of the world.