It’s Called Padel Tennis sometimes. Deal With It.

Every sport evolves. Terminology shifts. Language flexes. But apparently, some people didn’t get the memo.

Enter the self-appointed “Padel Purists” – an elite group of keyboard warriors — inevitably called Clive with an avatar of them holding a glass of wine — whose main mission in life (other than playing padel, presumably) is to wage war on anyone who dares utter the phrase padel tennis.

We get it. You want padel to stand on its own. You think adding “tennis” somehow diminishes its identity, like calling football “soccer” (which, ironically, was a British invention too, but we’ll save that debate for another day). But here’s the thing: we like calling it padel tennis. And we’ll keep doing it (especially if it winds the Clive's up).

Why? Because Facts.

1. Even Wikipedia Calls It Padel Tennis – If you’re going to be a purist, take it up with Wikipedia. The world’s most referenced source of information includes padel tennis as an alternative name. And if Wikipedia says it, it must be true, right?

2. Heritage Matters – When Enrique Corcuera invented the game in 1969, he based it on tennis. It’s why padel uses a scoring system identical to tennis, is played in doubles, and why rallies feel like a hybrid of tennis and squash. The name padel tennis acknowledges this heritage rather than pretending it appeared out of nowhere.

3. Clarity for Newcomers – Outside Spain, Argentina, and a few other padel-obsessed countries, most people still don’t know what “padel” is. But say padel tennis, and suddenly they get it. It’s a racket sport, it’s got elements of tennis, and now they’re intrigued. More players, more growth—why would anyone complain about that?

4. It Was Called Padel Tennis for Decades – In the early years, especially in English-speaking countries, “padel tennis” was a common way to describe the sport. Newspapers, TV commentators, and even clubs used it to differentiate it from platform tennis (which was also sometimes called “paddle tennis”). So if anything, purists should be mad that “padel tennis” isn’t still the official term.

5. Major News Outlets and Organizations Use It – Google “padel tennis” and you’ll find references from major publications, sports organizations, and clubs all over the world. If it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for us.

6. It’s Not the Only Sport with a Dual Name – Beach tennis, table tennis, lawn tennis—plenty of sports use an extra word to give context. Even “tennis” was originally called “lawn tennis” to distinguish it from real tennis (which still exists, by the way). Nobody’s freaking out about that.

7. Language Evolves Based on What Sounds Good – And honestly? Padel tennis just sounds great. It rolls off the tongue. It’s intuitive. It’s recognisable. It’s not a crime to use words people understand, and last time we checked, there wasn’t a language police department for racket sports.

So If It Bothers You, Maybe Just… Play?

We love padel. You love padel. We all want more people to love padel. So instead of getting worked up over a name, maybe just grab a racket and hit the court. Because whether you call it padel or padel tennis, it’s still the fastest-growing sport in the world. And that’s what really matters.