I first learned about padel last summer, when my partner sent me a photo from a small court during a visit to Germany.
What is that? I wondered.
“Padel. A childish version of tennis,” he texted, anticipating my question.
As an enthusiastic tennis player, I was not very interested.
A few months later, while biking in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, I noticed a large building with a sign that read “Padel Haus,” which billed itself as the first padel club in New York City. This sport wanted my attention, so I invited Victor Mather, a veteran sports reporter, to join me for a lesson.
Victor was willing to try. “I am a reasonably fit guy,” he said. But he was turning 60, he said, and added: “My eyesight isn’t what it used to be, I haven’t played tennis since prep school, and I have never played squash or racquetball.”
I was just happy to be on a court with a racket in hand because it isn’t easy to book a tennis court in the city.
Here’s what we learned.
First, what is padel?
Padel is a racket sport that has been growing in popularity in parts of the United States and other countries. Credit…Christian Rodriguez for The New York Times
