Padel, paddle tennis, platform tennis and POP tennis are four separate sports. They are not versions of each other, they were invented in different countries at different times, and only one of them — padel — is played inside a glass box.
The confusion is a naming accident. “Padel” is the Spanish word, “paddle” is the English one, and American paddle sports got there first. If someone in New York says “paddle”, they very probably do not mean padel.
The four, side by side
| Padel | Paddle tennis | Platform tennis | POP tennis | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Court | 20 × 10 m, enclosed | ~15.2 × 6.1 m, open | ~9.1 × 18.3 m deck, screened | ~18.3 × 6.1 m, open |
| Walls / screens | Glass and mesh, in play | None | Tensioned wire screens, in play | None |
| Surface | Sanded artificial turf | Hard court | Raised deck, often heated | Hard court |
| Paddle | Thick, perforated, foam core, up to 38 mm | Thin, solid, no holes | Solid with holes, stiff | Solid, short |
| Ball | Depressurised tennis ball | Depressurised tennis ball | Rubber sponge ball | Low-compression tennis ball |
| Serve | Underarm after a bounce | Underarm | Overhead, one serve | Underarm |
| Format | Doubles | Singles or doubles | Doubles | Singles or doubles |
| Origin | Acapulco, Mexico, 1969 | New York, 1915 | Scarsdale, New York, 1928 | California, 2010s (from paddle tennis) |
| Where it is played | Spain, Argentina, Sweden, UK, Gulf — worldwide | Mostly the US | US north-east, in winter | Mostly the US |
How to tell them apart in ten seconds
From a photograph, in this order:
- Is there a glass box around it? Padel. Nothing else uses glass.
- Is it a raised wooden deck with tight wire screens, probably in the snow? Platform tennis.
- Is it an open hard court with a low net and short paddles? Paddle tennis or POP tennis — the two are close relatives, POP being the modernised, standardised version.
- Are the players hitting a spongy rubber ball in winter coats? Platform tennis again. The ball is the giveaway.
Padel and platform tennis: the near miss
These two are the most genuinely similar, because both let you play the ball off the surround after it bounces. They are still different sports, and the differences are not cosmetic.
| Padel | Platform tennis | |
|---|---|---|
| Surround | Glass — a fast, true, predictable rebound | Tensioned wire — a slow, dead, unpredictable one |
| Serve | Underarm, two attempts | Overhead, one attempt |
| Ball | Depressurised tennis ball | Solid rubber sponge, designed for cold |
| Season | Year round | Winter, deliberately — the deck is heated |
| Rally character | Long, built around the glass | Long, built around the screens and the lob |
A padel player transfers to platform tennis better than to any other racket sport, and still has to relearn the rebound entirely: glass returns the ball, wire absorbs it. The glass itself is three metres of the four-metre back wall — see padel court dimensions — which is why the rebound is so consistent.
The other two comparisons people run alongside this one are padel vs pickleball and padel vs tennis.
Why the names collided
Paddle tennis was invented in New York in 1915 by Frank Beal, as a scaled-down tennis for children. Platform tennis followed in Scarsdale in 1928, built on a raised deck so it could be played in snow. Both were established American sports with “paddle” in the name decades before padel existed.
Padel was invented in Acapulco in 1969 by Enrique Corcuera, who walled in a small court at his home. It spread through Spain and Argentina under its Spanish name, and arrived in English-speaking countries carrying a word that sounds like one already taken. There is no shared lineage: the sports were not derived from one another and the resemblance is coincidental.
The practical consequence today is a search problem more than a sporting one. In the United States, “paddle” usually means platform tennis or pickleball. Outside it, the walled sport is what people mean, and it is described in full in what is padel.
Which should you play?
| If… | Play |
|---|---|
| You want the sport with the courts, the tour and the global growth | Padel |
| You live in the US north-east and want to play outdoors in January | Platform tennis |
| You want a quick, cheap game on an existing hard court | POP tennis or pickleball |
| You came from tennis and want long rallies and doubles tactics | Padel |
If it is padel, the equipment is not interchangeable with any of the others: a padel racket is thicker, perforated and foam-cored, and a platform tennis paddle is illegal in padel and vice versa. What to buy is in best padel rackets for beginners and the whole kit in the padel equipment guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is padel the same as paddle tennis?
No. Padel is played on a 20 × 10 m enclosed court where glass walls are in play. Paddle tennis is an American sport played on an open hard court about 15 × 6 m with no walls. They share no lineage.
Is padel spelled padel or paddle?
Padel, one d, for the walled sport. “Paddle” refers to the separate American sports — paddle tennis and platform tennis. The two spellings are not variants of the same word in this context.
What is the difference between padel and platform tennis?
Padel uses glass walls, an underarm serve with two attempts and a depressurised tennis ball. Platform tennis uses tensioned wire screens, one overhead serve and a solid rubber sponge ball, on a heated raised deck built for winter.
Can you use a padel racket for paddle tennis?
No. A padel racket is up to 38 mm thick with a perforated face and a foam core. Paddle tennis and platform tennis paddles are thin and solid, and each sport’s rules specify its own equipment.
Which is more popular, padel or paddle tennis?
Padel, by a very wide margin globally — the International Padel Federation puts participation at around 25 million. Paddle tennis and platform tennis remain largely American and much smaller.
Sources. Court and equipment specifications: Rules of Padel, International Padel Federation (FIP); American Platform Tennis Association rules; US Paddle and POP Tennis Association rules — all consulted 30/08/2026. Origin dates and locations as recorded by each sport’s governing body.