Straight answers

Padel is a doubles racket sport played on an enclosed court measuring 20 metres by 10 metres, surrounded by glass and metal mesh walls that stay in play. Rackets are solid and perforated, the serve is underarm, and the scoring follows tennis. It originated in Acapulco, Mexico in 1969 and is now the fastest-growing racket sport in the world.

Two teams of two play across a net inside a glass-walled court. The server bounces the ball behind the service line and strikes it underarm, below waist height, into the diagonal service box. During rallies the ball must bounce on the floor before touching any wall, after which it can rebound off the glass and still be returned. Points are scored 15, 30, 40, game.

No. Padel is played on a 20 by 10 metre glass-enclosed court with a pressurised ball and walls in play. Pickleball uses a smaller open court, a perforated plastic ball and a non-volley zone at the net. Padel rallies are longer and more physical; pickleball is lower impact and cheaper to set up.

A regulation doubles padel court is 20 metres long and 10 metres wide, enclosed by walls 3 metres high at the back. The net stands 88 centimetres at the centre and 92 centimetres at the posts, and the service line sits 3 metres in from each back wall. Singles courts are narrower at 20 by 6 metres.

A padel court occupies about a quarter of the footprint of a tennis court while serving four paying players at a time, which makes it commercially attractive to operators. For players, the underarm serve and enclosing walls mean beginners enjoy it immediately, and the doubles format makes it social by default.

The court fits on rooftops, in car parks and inside malls, which is where most Malaysian courts have gone. Play happens under lights after 7pm, avoiding the heat. And the doubles format matched an existing habit of groups of four booking a court, as they already do for badminton.

Yes, but only after the ball has bounced on the floor. Once it has bounced on your side you may let it rebound off the back or side glass and play it back over the net. Hitting the ball into your own wall before it bounces on the floor loses the point.

The rules require the server to strike the ball at or below waist height after bouncing it. This removes serving power as a dominant factor, keeps rallies long, and is the main reason complete beginners can enjoy padel from their first session.

Padel uses tennis scoring: 15, 30, 40, game. Six games with a two-game margin wins a set, with a tie-break to seven at 6–6, and matches are best of three sets. Most competitive padel uses the golden point, where 40–40 is decided by a single point rather than advantage.

At 40–40 the game is decided by a single point instead of playing advantage, with the receiving pair choosing which side takes it. It is standard in professional padel and most club leagues because it keeps matches within a predictable time slot.

No. The ball may bounce only once on the floor. After that single bounce it can touch the walls and still be returned, but a second bounce on the floor ends the point.

Normally the point ends. However, if the ball bounced legally on your side first and then flew out over the wall, you may leave through the court's side gate and return it from outside before it bounces again. This is legal and known as playing por tres or por cuatro.

Most Malaysian padel courts are in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, including Padelground at The Courts in Bukit Kiara, City Padel KL, ASCARO at 1 Utama, Joy Division Padel in Petaling Jaya, House of Padel in Ampang and PadelKu at Berjaya Times Square. Courts also operate in Johor Bahru, Penang, Perak and Kedah.

For evenings and weekends, yes — popular Klang Valley courts book out days ahead, sometimes a week. Weekday mornings and early afternoons are usually available at short notice and cost less. Booking is through Playtomic, the club's own system, or WhatsApp depending on the venue.

Yes, and they are the most reliable option here. Fully indoor courts are playable in any weather and book out earliest; covered or roofed courts are rain-safe but hot until evening; rooftop and open-air courts are cheapest but realistically only usable after 7pm.

Court hire in Malaysia runs roughly RM90 to RM200 per hour depending on the venue and time slot. Standard Klang Valley club courts sit around RM110 to RM140 per hour, with premium indoor and panoramic courts reaching RM170 to RM200 at peak. Because courts are hired whole and padel is doubles, four players typically pay RM25 to RM50 each per hour.

Per player it is comparable to a premium badminton or futsal booking — typically RM30 to RM50 for a 90-minute session split between four people. It appears expensive because venues quote the full court rate rather than a per-player price.

A round-headed racket, lightweight at around 350 to 365 grams, with a soft or medium EVA core and a fibreglass face. Round rackets have a large central sweet spot and low balance, making them forgiving. Expect to pay RM250 to RM400 in Malaysia — but rent for your first few sessions before buying.

No. Padel rackets are solid, stringless and perforated, with a maximum length of 45.5 centimetres and thickness of 38 millimetres. A tennis racket is not legal in padel and does not work inside the enclosed court.

Yes. Padel balls are pressurised slightly lower and are marginally smaller, between 6.35 and 6.77 centimetres in diameter. Dropped from 2.54 metres a regulation padel ball rebounds 135 to 145 centimetres, less than a tennis ball, which keeps rallies playable inside the small enclosed court.

Yes, unusually so. Most people can hold a rally within their first 30 minutes because the underarm serve and the enclosing walls remove the hardest parts of tennis. Reaching intermediate level, where you use the back glass deliberately and hold net position as a pair, takes several months.

Four. Padel is played as doubles, and Malaysian venues hire out the whole court rather than charging per player, so a group of four gives both the best game and the lowest cost per person. Solo players can join open matches through Playtomic or club americano nights.

Court shoes with a herringbone or mixed sole and strong lateral support. Padel is played on sand-dressed artificial turf with constant sideways movement. Badminton or squash shoes work as a stopgap; running shoes are the wrong tool and an ankle injury risk.

Moisture-wicking sportswear and court shoes with lateral support. Bring a towel, at least 1.5 litres of water, a spare shirt and a fresh overgrip — humidity makes padel considerably sweatier than it looks, and a soaked grip is the most common cause of a racket slipping.

To start with, yes. The underarm serve, the smaller court and the walls remove the parts of tennis that keep beginners from rallying. Padel becomes tactically deep at higher levels, but its entry barrier is far lower than tennis.

No, but one introductory session is unusually good value. Most beginner points are lost through positioning and shot selection rather than technique, and those are corrected far faster with a coach watching than through play alone.

Most social players who can rally, serve reliably and use the back wall sit between 3.0 and 3.5 on the standard scale. Complete beginners are 1.0 to 2.0, and competitive club players are 4.5 to 5.5. Nearly everyone overestimates by roughly half a point.

The Malaysia Padel Association is the national governing body, handling tournament sanctioning, national representation and coaching standards. Internationally the sport is governed by the International Padel Federation (FIP), and the leading professional circuit is Premier Padel.

Not currently. The International Padel Federation has been pursuing Olympic recognition and inclusion has been discussed for future Games, but padel has not yet appeared in an Olympic programme.

Regional WhatsApp groups are the main channel, covering Kuala Lumpur, the wider Klang Valley, beginners, and regions including Ipoh and Perak. Club Instagram accounts and Playtomic's open-match feature are the other two reliable routes. Ask at any club counter for a group link.