History of Padel: Origins, Expansion and Global Success
The history of padel is one of the most surprising sport stories of the last 50 years. What started as a backyard experiment in Mexico is now the fastest-growing racket sport on the planet, with over 30 million players across 90+ countries. Yet most people still don’t know how it all began, or why it took decades to explode.
This is the full story: from a single court built in Acapulco in 1969, to royal villas in Marbella, to Argentine working-class clubs, all the way to Qatari-backed pro tours and Wimbledon-style stadiums. Understanding where padel comes from helps you understand why it plays the way it does today.
The Mexican origins: Enrique Corcuera and the first court (1969)
The story starts with one man and a problem. Enrique Corcuera, a wealthy Mexican businessman, wanted a tennis court at his villa in Acapulco. The problem? He didn’t have enough space.
Instead of giving up, Corcuera improvised. He built a smaller court, 20 metres long and 10 metres wide, and surrounded it with walls to keep the ball in play. The walls weren’t a flaw, they became a feature. Players could use them tactically, just like in squash.
Corcuera called his invention “Paddle Corcuera”. The dimensions he chose almost by accident in 1969 are still the official measurements used in every professional tournament today. That’s a rare thing in sport history, the original inventor got the geometry right on the first try.
His friends loved it. Among them was Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe, a Spanish aristocrat who would change everything.
Spain enters the game: the Marbella revolution (1974)
Prince Alfonso visited Corcuera in Mexico, played a few matches, and was hooked. When he returned to Spain, he built two courts at the famous Marbella Club, his luxury resort on the Costa del Sol.
Marbella in the 1970s was the playground of European jet-set society. Aristocrats, actors and businessmen tried this strange new game and brought it back to their countries. Padel spread organically through word of mouth, not marketing.
Spain was the perfect petri dish. The weather allowed outdoor play almost year-round. The social side of the sport, two against two, lots of chatting between points, matched Spanish café culture. And the learning curve was friendly: a beginner could rally in 30 minutes, something tennis never offered.
By the late 1980s, padel clubs were popping up across Andalusia, then Madrid, then the rest of Spain. The country quietly became the world capital of the sport, a title it still holds.
Argentina and the South American boom
Around the same time, a friend of Corcuera named Julio Menditeguy brought padel to Argentina in 1975. What happened next was extraordinary.
Argentina didn’t just adopt padel, it went mad for it. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the country experienced what locals call “the padel fever”. Estimates suggest there were up to 2 million regular players in a population of 35 million at the time. Courts appeared in every neighbourhood, from Buenos Aires high-rises to rural towns.
The Argentine boom produced something Spain didn’t have yet: world-class players. Names like Fernando Belasteguín, who would dominate the sport for 16 consecutive years as world number one, came out of this generation. Argentina also developed a more aggressive, attacking style that influenced how the modern game is played.
The fever cooled in Argentina during the 2001 economic crisis, but the technical foundation stayed. Many of today’s top coaches still come from this Argentine school.
The professional era and the Premier Padel revolution
Padel had local stars and packed clubs, but for decades it lacked one thing: a serious global tour. That changed in the 2010s with the World Padel Tour (WPT), founded in 2013 in Spain. The WPT created a real circuit with prize money, rankings and TV coverage.
Then came 2022, and everything accelerated. Qatar Sports Investments launched Premier Padel, a rival tour backed by huge money and the International Padel Federation. Within two years, Premier Padel absorbed the WPT and became the unified global tour.
Suddenly padel had stadiums that looked like ATP events. Players like Arturo Coello, Agustín Tapia, Ariana Sánchez and Paula Josemaría became international stars. Sponsorship deals exploded. Tennis legends like Andre Agassi, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Lionel Messi publicly endorsed the sport.
The professional polish gave padel the legitimacy it needed to expand beyond its traditional markets.
The global expansion: how padel conquered the world
Between 2018 and 2025, padel went from regional sport to global phenomenon. The numbers are staggering.
Sweden alone built over 4,000 courts in three years, going from 50 clubs to a national obsession. Italy followed, then France, where the Fédération Française de Tennis officially took padel under its wing. The UAE built luxury padel facilities in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The USA, long resistant, started rolling out courts in Miami, Texas and California from 2022 onward.
Why now? Three reasons. First, social media: padel is visual, fast and fun to watch in short clips. Second, accessibility: you can play decent rallies after one lesson, unlike tennis. Third, the social format: four players, lots of laughter, perfect for the post-pandemic appetite for in-person sport.
The technology side also matured. Court booking apps, video analysis tools and AI coaching platforms changed how players progress. If you want to track your level seriously and actually improve, tools like Linceya analyse your matches the same way pros review video, giving you concrete things to work on rather than guesswork.
The next chapter is Olympic recognition. Padel is on the shortlist for future Games, and most insiders believe it’s only a matter of time.
FAQ
Who invented padel and when?
Padel was invented in 1969 by Enrique Corcuera, a wealthy Mexican businessman, at his home in Acapulco. He wanted to build a tennis court but lacked space, so he designed a smaller enclosed court with walls. He set the dimensions at 20x10 metres and added wire mesh fencing. These exact specifications are still used today, more than 50 years later.
Why did padel become so popular in Spain?
Spain embraced padel after Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe built the first European court in Marbella in 1974. The warm climate, social culture and accessible learning curve matched Spanish lifestyle perfectly. By the 1990s, clubs spread nationwide. Today Spain has over 6 million players and 15,000 courts, making it the global heartland of the sport.
When did padel become a global sport?
Padel started its global boom around 2018-2020. The Premier Padel circuit launched in 2022 with backing from Qatar Sports Investments, professionalising the tour. Countries like Sweden, Italy, France, the UAE and the USA built thousands of courts in just a few years. By 2025, padel was played in over 90 countries with more than 30 million players worldwide.
Take your place in padel history
The history of padel proves one thing: this sport rewards smart players, not just powerful ones. From Corcuera’s first wall in Acapulco to today’s global tour, the game has always been about reading angles and learning fast. If you want to be part of where padel goes next, start by understanding your own game. Film a match, analyse your patterns, and build from there.