Why padel courts are Durban's new favourite hangout spot
You might not be the next Serena Williams, but you could be Durban's queen of the padel courts.
Durban's padel community continues to grow rapidly.
Padel Courts are popping up across the city, with young and old taking up the sport. Many people have also started padel clubs and entered competitions.
It is also a fun way to work out while hanging out with old friends and making new ones.
What is padel?
Padel is a combination of tennis and squash. However, unlike the two sports, you do not use a racket with strings to play padel. A sold stringless padel is used instead. A Mexican businessman named Enrique Corcuera is believed to have started padel in 1969. He reportedly did not have enough space in his backyard to build a tennis court, so he decided to improvise.
"Instead, he created a smaller court measuring 20 × 10 metres, enclosed by 3-metre walls with a tennis net in the centre. This became the first padel court in history," the International Padel Federation states on its website.
"The first set of rules was drafted by his wife, Viviana, a former Miss Argentina, who presented them to him as a birthday gift."
It soon spread to other parts of the world, including Spain and Argentina. It now played as a professional sport. Earlier this year, competitors competed in a medal event at the Asian Games in Japan for the first time.
Why do people love padel?
Padel has gained popularity in over 100 countries, including South Africa. Many are drawn to padel because it is easy to play, which means you can get the hang of the game much quicker. It's not as intense as tennis and is usually played in doubles, which is probably why it has quickly become more of a social sport.
Many padel courts and clubs are located in or around venues with coffee shops. People network and socialise. It is also becoming a hot spot for content creators, fitness enthusiasts, and athletes. Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Jr., and Lionel Messi have all been spotted playing padel.
Check out some of Durban's popular padel courts below.
PadelNation Durban Country Club
Padel Lab Westville
The Gayle Padel Club
Dream Padel
Padel Up
Padel courts in KZN
Durban is not the only place in KwaZulu-Natal where padel courts are booming. Here are
- BasPadel, Newcastle
- South Coast Padel, Margate
- Station Padel, Ballito
- Padel PMB, Pietermaritzburg
- Prime Padel, Newcastle
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