Padel at tennisnet.com? Of course!
Padel is on the rise in Germany and Austria. Reason enough for us at tennisnet.com to pay much more attention to the trend discipline.
by Robin Huiber
last edit: Feb 10, 2022, 10:19 am
More than four million Spaniards can't be wrong: according to current estimates, that's how many of Rafael Nadal's compatriots actively play padel. And have long since left the traditional tennis scene behind. In Argentina there are said to be as many as six million people who practice the hybrid of tennis and squash in pairs.
In Germany and Austria we are still a long way from such conditions. But more and more courts are also being built in Germany, mostly on tennis club facilities. Padel and tennis complement each other perfectly. Athleticism and a feeling for the ball are required on both sides, but the different racket materials also offer interesting facets for those who play both padel and tennis.
And the tournament scene is also growing in Germany and Austria, in 2022 the World Padel Tour will stop in the Alpine Republic. What else is missing? Absolutely exceptional players from German-speaking countries who can keep up with the world's best. This has been formed by Spaniards and Argentines for years.
But hopefully that will change in the future. And we at tennisnet.com want to accompany the German-speaking aces as far as possible on their way to the top.
More and more courts are being built in Germany and Austria
In Germany, the relevant competition operation is managed by the German Padel Association (DPV). The DPV also takes care of the national teams, only recently announcing that Marcelo Perez, a renowned Spanish coach and former player (and world champion in the over 45 sector) could be hired as coach for the junior and senior national teams.
Since 2012, the DPV has organized the German Padel Series, which is structured according to a system similar to the ATP Tour: There are tournaments in the GPS categories 100, 250, 500 and 1,000. According to the German Tennis Association, there are currently 71 facilities, 40 of which are in tennis clubs. The game is played on 130 courts, 44 of which are indoors and 86 outdoors.
In Austria, the Austrian Padel Union sets the tone. The opportunities for padel players are also getting better and better in Austria, in Vienna alone you can play on six different facilities: This ranges from outdoor courts in the Vienna Prater to the Padeldome Erdberg, where nine indoor courts are available to players.