Padel is all the rage here in Philadelphia. Somebody set up a couple of courts in Manayunk, and squash players around here have really taken to the game. That was true even before the pandemic, but it’s especially the case now.
Padel is kind of a blend between tennis and squash. It’s played on a court that’s basically a shrunken tennis court, but it has glass walls on the back and partway up the sides, so you can take balls off the back wall like in squash.
I put together this video showing off the scene in Manayunk if you want to see a glimpse of what it’s like. If you have a chance to play Padel near you, definitely give it a whirl.
Here’s a video from the guy at Padel School (a useful channel) explaining some of the differences between Padel and Squash:
Dan says
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Interesting stuff and thanks for this. When the squash courts shut down I joined a platform (paddle) tennis club in my town. Similar to Padel in court and racket size, but played outside with a chicken wire fence around the court to play the ball off. I’d be interested in seeing a similar comparison video featuring squash and platform. If I find one I’ll pass it along.
Pierre says
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Good point I forgot to mention Paddle Tennis in this post but I actually got to play it last week for the first time. It’s actually pretty similar-feeling to Padel except the chicken wire of Paddle is a bit more unpredictable versus the smooth glass of Padel