Padel & tennis guides

Practical guides to playing padel and tennis in the UK — venues, costs, kit, rules and technique.

• How many padel courts are there in the UK?

  The latest official count, a sourced growth timeline and our reviewed directory coverage.

• Best padel courts in London

  Our pick of the best places to play padel in London - from rooftop pop-ups in the City to dedicated clubs in the suburbs.

• How much does it cost to play padel in the UK?

  Court hire, kit, coaching and membership - a clear breakdown of what padel actually costs you across a typical year.

• Padel vs tennis: what's the difference?

  Rules, court, equipment, learning curve and fitness demands - a direct comparison for anyone deciding which to play.

• Best tennis clubs in Surrey

  Surrey's strongest tennis clubs - heritage venues, modern coaching academies and the best places to find a friendly social game.

• How to find pay-and-play tennis courts near you

  Where to look, what to book, and how to spot the best public courts in your area without joining a club.

• What makes a good padel club?

  The facilities, coaching, community and operational signals that separate great padel clubs from also-rans.

• Indoor vs outdoor padel courts

  How indoor and outdoor padel differ on play characteristics, comfort, cost and year-round usability - and how to choose.

• How to choose a tennis club

  What to ask, what to visit and how to compare clubs honestly before you sign up for a year.

• Padel rules explained - a beginner's complete guide

  Scoring, serving, the walls, lets, faults - every rule a beginner needs to walk onto court and play a real game.

• How to choose your first padel racket

  Shape, weight, balance and core - what actually matters when buying your first padel racket, and what's marketing fluff.

• Padel etiquette: the unwritten rules

  The unspoken rules that separate a welcome doubles partner from one nobody books with twice.

• Padel for kids: a parent's guide

  Best ages to start, kit, coaching, and the UK clubs and programmes that take junior padel seriously.

• Best padel courts in Manchester

  Where to play padel in Manchester and Greater Manchester - from city-centre venues to suburban clubs catching the boom.

• Tennis or padel - which should you learn first?

  A practical decision framework for anyone trying to pick one racket sport to start with as an adult.

• Tennis penalties explained: every code violation and what it costs

  From a quiet code violation to a defaulted match - the full ladder of tennis penalties, how umpires apply them, and the famous matches where they decided the result.

• Padel court hire UK: prices, booking and how to find a slot

  What padel court hire actually costs across the UK in 2026, how to book one, and how to find a peak-time slot when every club is full.

• Is padel easier than tennis? An honest beginner's guide

  Yes - to start. The first hour of padel is dramatically easier than the first hour of tennis. The full picture is more nuanced.

• Where to learn padel in London - a beginner's guide

  The best places to take your first padel lesson in London - clubs that genuinely cater to beginners, expected costs and how to progress.

• Padel court construction: how a court gets built

  The full UK construction process, from survey and groundworks to steel, glass, turf, lighting and handover.

• How much does a padel court cost in the UK?

  A defensible 2026 budget using published UK builder ranges, with the scope differences that make apparently similar quotes diverge.

• Padel court dimensions: official size in metres and feet

  The regulation playing area, enclosure, net and height requirements — plus the extra space a real project needs around them.

• Do you need planning permission for a padel court?

  What UK councils assess — enclosure, noise, lighting, drainage, traffic and neighbour impact — and how to prepare a stronger application.

• The padel court business case: costs, revenue and payback

  A scenario-led UK business case that separates gross court revenue from land, staffing, finance and the costs that decide actual payback.

• Outdoor tennis courts in West London: the complete guide

  Where to play outdoor tennis in West London - parks, public courts, private clubs and pay-and-play venues from Holland Park to Chiswick.

• Padel lessons in London for beginners: clubs, coaches and costs

  The best places to take padel lessons in London as a complete beginner - group, 1-to-1, courses and Americanos.

• Padel doubles strategy: how the best teams really play

  Beyond positioning rules - the actual tactical playbook that intermediate and advanced padel teams use to win matches.

• Plyometrics for tennis players: the 8 exercises that matter

  Eight plyometric exercises every club tennis player should do twice a week to add explosive movement, faster recovery and injury resistance.

• Padel for tennis players: what transfers and what doesn't

  A tactical and technical guide for tennis players picking up padel - what transfers cleanly, what actively hurts you, and how to adjust.

• Best padel rackets for beginners in the UK

  The round-head, soft-EVA rackets I actually put into beginners' hands - forgiving sweet spots, no tennis elbow, under £200.

• Best intermediate padel rackets: stepping up to teardrop

  You've outgrown your first racket. Here's how to choose between teardrop and hybrid shapes - and the frames I'd happily play with myself.

• Best advanced and competition padel rackets

  Diamond heads, hard EVA, 18K carbon. The frames I reach for myself, and what you actually gain from going pro-spec.

• Round vs teardrop vs diamond: which padel racket shape is right for you?

  The single most important spec on a padel racket. A coach's plain-English guide to shape - and why most players pick the wrong one.

• Padel shoes UK buying guide: soles, surfaces and the best models

  Most UK courts are outdoor or hybrid surfaces. Picking the wrong sole means sliding when you should stick - and stopping dead when you should slide.

• Padel balls explained: pressure, brands and when to change them

  Padel balls look like tennis balls. They're not. Here's what to buy, what UK clubs use, and how long a tube actually lasts.

• Best beginner tennis rackets in the UK

  Bigger heads, lighter frames, more forgiving strings. The beginner tennis rackets I'd put in your hand - and why specs matter more than brand.

• Intermediate to advanced tennis rackets: control vs power compared

  Once you're past the beginner frame, the choice is style: power players need different frames to control players. A coach's tour of both camps.

• Tennis strings explained: multifilament, poly, hybrid and tension

  Strings change a racket's feel more than the frame does. Here's what the different types do, what tension to use, and when to restring.

• How padel leagues work in the UK

  The four league formats UK padel players actually run, what they cost, how fixtures and promotion work, and how to start one at your own club.

• How to make money from padel in the UK

  Five realistic routes to earning from padel, ranked by how easily you can start — with worked numbers, qualification requirements and honest capital costs.

• How to run a paid padel league

  Format, pricing, payment collection, dropouts and refunds — the operational detail behind running a padel league people pay for and come back to.