Dutch Padel Week: 15 – 22 March 2026

Dutch Padel Week 2026, powered by EY, takes place from March 15 to 22 and is the place to be for all the padel heroes of the Netherlands. Be inspired by spectacular matches featuring the Dutch elite battling for the coveted national titles. Immerse yourself in the energy of thousands of fans and improve your own game by experiencing how padel is really played. Do you have padel stamps in your collection, for example as part of a tennis collection?

Padel

Padel (Spanish: pádel) is a racket and ball sport played in an enclosed court, or cage. It is primarily played with four players, in which a ball similar to a tennis ball must be hit over a net with a racket. It resembles a combination of tennis and squash. The playing field is approximately 25% smaller than a tennis court. In padel, the ball must be hit over the net into the opponent's half of the court without first hitting one of the walls. The goal is to prevent the opponent(s) from returning the ball. However, the ball remains in play if it hits the ground first and then one of the walls. This results in longer rallies. This also means that tactics are more important than power, as the ball can always return. The sport is practiced both recreationally and competitively. Padel players are generally members of a padel club, which is affiliated with a padel federation. The world padel association is the FIP, Federación Internacional de Pádel.

 

History

Padel originated in 1969 in the Mexican seaside resort of Acapulco . The inventor of padel, Enrique Corcuera, was a wealthy businessman. He did not have enough space at home to install a tennis court, so he devised a similar sport. He marked out a 10 by 20 meter court with 3 to 4 meter high walls. A net separated both sides. Since the court was smaller, he considered playing not with tennis rackets, but with smaller wooden rackets.

Initially, padel was played only by the Mexican elite, but through Alfonso de Hohenlohe, a Spanish friend of Corcuera, padel also made its way to Spain. De Hohenlohe introduced the sport to Marbella, where the first European padel club was founded in 1974. The first players were wealthy friends of De Hohenlohe. Promotion via King Juan Carlos and Manolo Santana, a former Wimbledon winner, caused the number of padel players to increase rapidly. Another friend of De Hohenlohe, Julio Menditengui, brought padel to Argentina, where it grew into a national sport with more than 10.000 courts and 2 million players. In Spain, the 1 million player mark was reached in the 1990s. Padel is currently the most popular sport there after football, with 5 million players. It is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, with approximately 10 million players worldwide (December 2014). Spain and Argentina also remain the top countries in international competition for the time being.

 

Premier Padel

Premier Padel is the official global professional padel tour. The tour was established in 2022 by Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) in partnership with the International Padel Federation (FIP) and the Professional Padel Association (PPA). Premier Padel aims to organize a single global professional circuit for padel under the supervision of the FIP.

In the first season in 2022, more than 500 professional players participated in Premier Padel tournaments. Matches were played at internationally renowned sports venues, including Stade Roland-Garros in Paris. In March 2023, more than 110 professional female players also joined Premier Padel through the International Padel Players Association (IPPA).

In August 2023, it was announced that QSI would acquire the World Padel Tour (WPT). This acquisition led to the merger of the two main professional circuits into a single global padel circuit under the name Premier Padel, governed by the FIP. This marked the end of the parallel organization of multiple international professional competitions.

From 2025, Premier Padel comprises a calendar of 24 tournaments in 16 countries. The tour plays a key role in the further internationalization and professionalization of the sport of padel, with events in both traditional padel countries and new growth markets.

 

The field

Padel is played in doubles on a court measuring 10 by 20 meters, while in singles it is 6 by 20 meters. The court is bordered on all sides by a wall. On the short sides, this wall is higher than on the long sides, which are called fencing. This court is divided in two by a net. Each of the two playing halves is divided into three areas: a back area and two front areas (service areas). The line between the two halves is called the center line, and the back line is called the baseline. The court and the service areas are separated by white lines, which form part of the playing field. Courts have 3-meter-high concrete or glass walls (back and side walls). Glass walls are often used to broadcast padel matches on TV. The cameras can then film behind the glass without the risk of being hit by the ball. The audience can also watch the match without the risk of being hit by the ball. On both lateral sides, there is a 12-meter-long metal railing, with a door in the middle on at least one side. The playing surface usually consists of artificial grass, but without long blades. It is also possible to play on concrete or gravel.

 

Material

The ball

Padel is played with a ball similar to that of tennis. However, a padel ball is lighter and smaller than a regular tennis ball. The pressure inside a padel ball is between 1,78 and 2,01 bar. This pressure is lower than in a tennis ball, causing a padel ball to move more slowly. After a drop from a height of 254 cm onto a hard surface, the ball must bounce 135 to 145 cm.

The racket

Padel is usually played with a carbon fiber padel racket. It features an unlimited number of holes and a cord to attach the racket to the wrist. All padel rackets have a maximum length of 45,5 centimeters and a maximum width of 26 centimeters. Rackets can vary in shape, weight, and base material. Depending on a player's age and level, one can determine which racket suits them best. There are three basic shapes:

• Diamond shape: for advanced players, the sweet spot and balance are higher, creating a leverage effect and allowing for harder hits.
• Teardrop shape: for intermediate to advanced players, the sweet spot and balance are in the center of the blade.
• Round: suitable for beginner players, but round rackets are also used at the top level. The sweet spot is relatively large and located in the center, but the balance is significantly lower. As such, a racket with this shape is the easiest to use.

A sweet spot is the place where a stroke or hit results in a maximum response for a given effort. A particular stroke will result in a greater impulse if the ball hits the racket on the sweet spot.

As in tennis and squash, weight also plays a role. Padel rackets weigh between 365 and 396 grams. There is no official weight for padel rackets, so there are many variations in weight. Lighter rackets move more easily and allow for a faster reaction time at the net. The ease of movement and light resistance of a lightweight racket are ideal for beginners. Heavier rackets have more mass, making it possible to transfer more power. The disadvantage of a heavier racket is that it can affect reaction time at the net. A racket is usually between 36 and 38 millimeters thick.

 

<strong> More info: </strong>

Dutch Padel Week, March 15 – 22, 2026, Eindhoven:

https://www.nlpadel.nl/alles-over-padel/beleef-padel/evenementen/dutch-padel-week-2026/