I remember in 2008 when someone first said there was a game that mixed tennis and squash. But I didn’t believe it,” said the UAE TV presenter and MC Cathy Overlay. Today she plays a game every week.
This story was little known 10 years ago, but now it’s a racquet game that has become a signature game in the UAE. There are about 350 private and public courts in the UAE, says EisaAl Marzouki, director of the UAE Padel Association.
And only last year, the Dubai Fitness Challenge launched the inaugural Dubai Padel Cup, a month-long event. And most importantly companies are coming from spain Padel Academy and it’s growing very fast in uae
Why has it become so popular?
There are a lot of reasons for its exponential rise — starting with the fact it can be played by almost everyone.
She says they have clients who are very young, as well as those over the age 60, trying out the game. A lot of their customers are beginners who want to learn more about the sport, or yoga enthusiasts who catch a yoga session in the studio, see the game taking place in the courts outside and want to try it out.
Overy shares a similar view. “It is a sport that is very easy to play but difficult to master. Tennis can be technical, but in paddle you have a racket and all you have to do is hit the ball. But hitting the ball a certain way (counting rebounds) is another matter.” Who is the
Padel suitable for?
How intense the game gets depends on how you decide to play. “You move a lot, but you don’t have to sweat a lot or be an athlete,” says Overy. It’s easier to learn because it requires less physical effort, says Cornelia Glore, a physical therapist at RAK Hospital.
“On the other hand, the ball you use is similar to the ball you use in tennis, but with less pressure. So it’s a good arm workout and requires less muscle strength’s Book Court and stay healthy.