Paddle (or padel) is a racket sport played extensively in Spain, Latin America and it is now beginning to spread across Europe and North America.
It is played in either singles or doubles on an enclosed court about half the size of a tennis court. The balls used and the scoring is the same as tennis but the biggest difference is that the court has walls and the balls can be played off them. Since it is easy to learn paddle, it is enjoyed by all ages and ability levels. Most players get the grasp of it within the first classes and find it easy to achieve a level of proficiency.

Padel Pro Tour (PPT) is a professional Paddle Circuit in Spain which was created in 2005 as a result of the agreement between a group of organizers of paddle tournaments, the Association of Professional Players of Paddle (AJPP) and the Spanish Feminine Association of Paddle (AFEP). Currently, Juan Martín Díaz and Fernando Belasteguin dominate the Circuit winning more than 80% of the tournaments.

History
The sport was invented in Mexico by Enrique Corcuera in the mid seventies. He had decided to build a tennis court at his summer residence in Mexico but the limitations of the field forced him to reduce the proportions of the court. So with an area of 200 square metres he constructed a 20 x 10 metre court, enclosing it with surrounding walls three and four metres high. The game was played with a short handled wooden bat. Thus he ended up creating paddle, a fun combination of tennis and squash without the rigorousness of either.

By those years, his Spanish friend, Alfonso de Hohenlohe travelled from Spain to visit Corcuera in his Acapulco home. He enjoyed playing this new sport so much, that he took the idea to Marbella. He is said to have built the first paddle court in the Marbella Club in Spain.

Argentina was the third country to know the sport. A millionaire friend of Alfonso de Hohenlohe who regularly visited Marbella, was so impressed with the game that he took the idea to Argentina.

More recently paddle has taken off in other American countries and is also spreading throughout Europe. The World Championships have been held every two years since 1992.

For further information about the World Championships visit Wikipedia. http://es.wikipedia.org