Padel
Padel is hugely popular, and rightly so. Longer rallies with the help of the walls around the court. With evenly matched opponents it is fun from day one. Padel, as it is called in Spanish, is a combination of tennis, squash and racketball and was 'invented' in Mexico around 1969. Enrique Corcuera did not have enough room for a tennis court. In the 1980s the sport reached Spain and spread in popularity from Marbella along the coast and further into Andalusia. Today padel is the most played sport in Spain after football, with more than 20,000 courts. That means the facilities are good and the standard of play is high.
Spain's national pastime
Every village has courts
Within 10 minutes of our house we have access to 12 outdoor courts at 4 locations. During the day there is nearly always availability, so you do not need to book a week ahead. That makes a game of padel easy to fit into your holiday. Tennis shoes are essential, but rackets and balls can be hired at the court.