In 1969, Enrique Corcuera, on a farm he owned in Acapulco, Mexico, adapted a 20×10 meter plot of land, placing walls on the sides and back, initially to prevent entrance of the vegetation, in which they practiced what was then called Paddle-Tennis, a social sport.

In 1974, a friend of Enrique invited Alfonso de Hohenlohe, who became interested in the practice of this newly created sport, so he built the first two courts in Spain, after perfecting some details, in the city of Marbella.

In a short time this new sport modality attracted prominent figures of Tennis, helping the expansion of this new sport modality, emerging the first tournaments on the Costa del Sol, promoting the construction of new facilities and the appearance of various Clubs.

Andalusia, Galicia, Barcelona, Madrid are some of the cities through which Paddle tennis expands throughout the Iberian Peninsula.

In the 1980s, paddle tennis had spread to other European countries, reaching Argentina in the middle of the decade where it had its first big explosion. In 1990 it had become a global sport, becoming the 2nd most practiced sport in Argentina, only behind Soccer.

In 1991 is when the International Paddle Federation was established in Madrid, the president being a Spaniard, Julio Alegría Artiach, who was in charge of creating an international circuit and establishing regulations at a world level, consolidating in 1993 as a sports modality. From 213 onwards, the professional paddle circuit is called the World Padel Tour.

The finals of the first world padel championship were held at the La Cartuja facilities, being played on a court brought for such an event from Argentina, called “Palacio de Cristal”, having the walls made of this material, in which Argentina became champion in the two modalities disputed, women’s and men’s, beating Spain in both finals.

With the arrival of the definitive international rules, came the definitive evolution of this sport, homologating its facilities with floors mainly made of synthetic grass or cement surfaces, located mainly in exclusive facilities for its practice.

Thus in Spain in the 90s, and enhanced by the practice of great personalities from all economic, social and political sectors, the participation of the main Spanish companies in the national circuit increased, investing large amounts of money in the clubs. , in the players and in the organization of all types of sporting events related to Paddle.

The commercial explosion made many Argentine players participate in Spanish circuits, attracted by the large number of existing championships, the juicy prizes, which allowed the quality of Spanish players to increase, to the point of winning the world championship held in Argentina in 1998. .

Today the number of padel courts in Spain is estimated at more than 20,000, it is estimated that it has more than 4 million players in more than 100 countries, where it has become one of the most popular sports in the world, among people of all ages and physical conditions.

Paddle tennis is played on a court with side and back walls 3 meters high, with a surface of 20×10 meters, which is played with a short wooden or fiberglass racket with a small head and a covered rubber ball. of felt, between two teams of two players each, with the objective of hitting the ball with the racket so that it bounces on the opponent’s side, with the team that hits the ball the most times on the opponent’s side winning the point.

The service (start of the game) is performed from the right side of the court, and the player must hit the ball so that it bounces in the opposite square, possibly bouncing off the ground, on the side or back walls, but not more than once on the same wall, winning the point when the ball hits the ground in the opposite court before the opposing pair can return it, a set is scored when a pair wins 6 games with a difference of two games over the opposing pair, winning the team that achieves the most sets.

During the match, players may not touch the walls with their body or paddle, and may not hit the ball over the net, hit the ball twice, or hinder the opponent.

In recent years, paddle tennis has become a school and extracurricular sport, as it helps children develop their coordination, balance and increase their reaction abilities, as well as foster social relationships. and teamwork and cooperation.

Different studies have shown that Paddle tennis is a very beneficial sports practice for health, as it is a social, low-impact, fun, exciting, fast and technical sport with very close matches.

Continuous practice of paddle tennis encourages positive thinking, relaxes the mind and reduces stress, improves mental agility and concentration, promotes the establishment of objectives and the achievement of goals. At the same time, it helps to improve elasticity, develops reflexes and reaction capacity, coordination of movements, tones muscles, and helps to strengthen physical condition in general, to lose weight and to rest better, taking advantage of the hours of sleep. , with quality rest.

Paddle tennis is a sport that can be practiced by children from the age of 8, as well as young people, adults and seniors, which helps to improve the function of the cardiac system in the elderly and promotes values such as camaraderie, friendship, rivalry, the fulfillment of the set objectives and increases motivation and physical motor development in the youngest.