Padel Boston plans to open in 2025, turning Boston into a hub for the Mexico-originating sport. Padel’s history dates back over 50 years, but it’s not widely recognized in New England, yet. Boston will quickly go from having zero to three Padel clubs in the next year, with one already open and two more slated to open in 2025.
What is Padel?
Padel is a racquet sport originating from 1969 Acapulco, Mexico. Businessman Enrique Corcuera handbuilt the world’s first Padel court in his home. The court design, which influneced how the sport would be played, drew inspiration from platform tennis courts. Set on elevated areas in cold climates, platform tennis courts are fenced in by glass panels to protect from cold weather.
Corcuera implemented the glass wall into his 10 x 20 meter courts with 10-foot-tall glass panels, making the wall a backboard for strokes. Players used small wooden racquets, similar to pickleball racquets in breadth to make the game more accessible than tennis. The sport itself combines elements of tennis and squash.
Where is Padel played?
Padel remained a Mexican sport until 1974 when a friend of Corcuera’s, Alfonso de Hohenlohe, brought Padel to Marbella, Spain—constructing two Padel courts at a local tennis club. Padel’s popularity spread from Mexico to Spain and Argentina, becoming a national sport in 10 countries today including: Spain, Argentina, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Chile, Belgium, Italy, Norway, and the Netherlands.
Despite its Mexican origin, Padel grew most rapidly in Spain, with 1,500 courts compared to 20,000 respectively. Boston is catching on to the Padel trend, with the first club open, and another two coming over the next few months.
Where to play Padel in Boston?
If you’re already curious to hit the Padel courts, head to Boston’s first Padel club, Sensa Padel Boston. Located inside Hyde Park’s Bosse Sports athletic complex, Sensa Padel Boston features four Padel courts with 40-foot-tall ceilings.
Two more Padel clubs within driving distance of Boston are slated to open soon. Padel Boston will open 30 minutes from the city in Dedham, with a scheduled opening for November 2024. Coming to Hopkinton, Massachusetts is Open Play Pickleball & Padel Club, which plans to open with two Padel courts and eight pickleball courts in early 2025.
Pickleball vs. Padel
While Padel is “the world’s fastest-growing sport” and might out trend pickleball, many centers like Open Play strive to offer a variation of racquet sports like tennis, Padel, ping pong, pickleball, racquetball, or squash.
However, the sports are somewhat different, with Padel citied to be more athletic and requiring faster reaction and movement because the depressurized tennis balls used bounce off the walls quickly. Padel also generally is played in doubles only, while Pickleball may be played as singles or doubles. The equipment used is also different in both sports and scoring for Padel follows tennis scoring while Pickleball uses a numeric points system.
If you’re ready to hop on the Padel trend check out Sensa Padel Boston:
1 Westinghouse Plaza Building Building G, Boston, MA 02136
Or one of these Boston-area Padel clubs opening soon:
Padel Boston: 220 Rustcraft Rd, Dedham, MA 02026
Open Play Pickleball & Padel Club: 124 East Main Street, Hopkinton, MA 01748