Game on as Padel Tennis comes to South Coast

Padel Tennis is on the rise, not only internationally, but in South Africa as well. Now the South Coast community can enjoy this wonderful sport thanks to the Port Shepstone Islamic School in Albersville, which together with the school governing body, has structured a state-of-the-art Padel Tennis Court at the Albersville Astro Arena.

Padel Tennis is the fastest growing sport in the world and the construction of the one in Albersville is the fifth in the country and the first on the South Coast.

It is a dynamic sport that takes the best part of tennis and squash and creates something that is arguably ‘more fun, more action and more social’.

It is played on an astroturf court 20m by 10m in size, enclosed on all sides by glass walls. These walls enable players to play shots off the glass as long as the ball has only bounced once.

The game is played with a stringless Padel, which has many benefits.
It’s closer to the hand, making hand-eye coordination more intuitive. It also does not have a rim or edge, which anyone who has played tennis can tell you can be frustrating, leading to shots going wrong.

The ball used is a tennis ball, although less compressed. The serve is underarm, with serves being made no higher that the hip, thus making the game less about technique, strength and power.

Ahmad Musa from the Port Shepstone Islamic School said this newly created sport is easy to pick up and gives players and spectators a thrilling feeling, with long rallies exciting to watch.

“Padel tennis is more about strategy and tactics than power. The sport is appealing to all ages and abilities and we invite all to come and enjoy the fastest growing sport in the world right here at the Albersville Astro Arena. It can be played at day or night as it is well lit up. The game is evolving daily and we look forward to sharing more details, as we go along,” said Ahmad.

Padel tennis uses exactly the same scoring system as tennis.
A game is started by serving diagonally as in tennis, with two serve attempts allowed.

The server must be behind the service line but the returner may stand wherever they like on the court, provided it’s diagonally opposite the server.

The server first bounces the ball then hits it below waist level.

The ball must bounce in the service box opposite before being hit by the returner.

If the ball does not bounce in the box, it is a fault.

If the ball hits the net and bounces in the box it is a let. If it touches the fencing before the second bounce, it is a fault.

Once the ball is in play, all balls which cross the net must first bounce on the ground on the opponent’s side before hitting a wall.

Players may hit the ball after it has bounced on a wall to send it back to the opponent’s side.

Just as in tennis, the ball may only bounce once in your side, and it may only be hit once.

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