Paddle tennis, rebranded as Pop tennis in 2015, is a game adapted from

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball cov ...

and played for over a century. Compared to tennis, the court is smaller and has no doubles lanes, and the net is lower. Paddle tennis is played with a solid paddle as opposed to a strung

racquet A racket, or racquet, is a sports implement used for striking a ball or shuttlecock in games such as squash, tennis, racquetball, badminton and padel. In the strictest sense a racket consists of a handled frame with an open hoop across which a ...

, and a depressurized tennis ball is used. The same court is used for both singles and doubles, with doubles being the dominant form of play. The smaller court size adds a strong emphasis and advantage to net play and creates a fast and reaction-based game. The game is gaining reputation and has spread out in

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and

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...

, where local leagues and tournaments are organized frequently.

History

Paddle tennis began in 1915, with its development by an Episcopal minister, Frank Peter Beal, in

lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan (also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York) is the southernmost part of Manhattan, the central borough for business, culture, and government in New York City, which is the most populated city in the United States with ...

. Wanting to create recreational activities for neighborhood children, he got the city's parks and recreation department to lay courts in

Washington Square Park Washington Square Park is a public park in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. One of the best known of New York City's public parks, it is an icon as well as a meeting place and center for cultural activity. ...

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

in 1915. The first tournament was held in 1922, and the United States Paddle Tennis Association (USPTA) was formed the following year. By 1941, paddle tennis was being played in almost 500 American cities. Although Frank Peer Beal is known as the game's inventor, Murray Geller, a player in the 1940s and ‘50s, was instrumental in creating the modern game. Elected chairman of the USPTA rules committee, he wanted to make the game more appealing to adults and instituted features including an enlarged court and an underhanded serve. Scott Freedman has won the World’s Men’s Singles Paddle Tennis Championships 19 times, the World Men’s Doubles Championships 16 times, and the World Mixed Doubles 14 times. He wrote a book titled ''Paddle Tennis and Tennis: Anyone Can Play''.

Similar sports

Platform tennis is a similar sport, which was invented in 1928 in Scarsdale, New York, USA by James Cogswell and Fessenden Blanchard. The primary difference from paddle tennis is that the platform tennis court is 6 feet shorter, fenced by taut chicken wire off which the ball can be played. Platform tennis uses a solid sponge rubber ball and overhead serving is permitted. Platform tennis is popular in the Northeastern and Midwestern U.S., since the raised court (the platform) can be heated for winter play.

Padel Padel ( es, Pádel) is a racket sport typically played in doubles on an enclosed court slightly smaller than a doubles tennis court. Scoring is the same as normal tennis, and the balls used are similar but with a little less pressure. The main ...

(not to be confused with "Paddle tennis") is also similar. Padel is typically played in doubles on an enclosed court about half the size of a tennis court. It is popular in

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and

Hispanic America The region known as Hispanic America (in Spanish called ''Hispanoamérica'' or ''América Hispana'') and historically as Spanish America (''América Española'') is the portion of the Americas comprising the Spanish-speaking countries of North, ...

Pickleball Pickleball is an indoor or outdoor racket/paddle sport where two players (singles), or four players (doubles), hit a perforated hollow polymer ball over a net using solid-faced paddles. Opponents on either side of the net hit the ball back and ...

is a similar sport invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island WA. It uses a similar size court and paddle, but uses a plastic "whiffle" ball.

Rules

The court

Paddle tennis courts are constructed of the same materials as tennis courts, or can also be placed on hard beach sand. The court measures 50 feet (15.24m) baseline-to-baseline and 20 feet (6.09m) across, with the service line 3 feet (0.91m) in from the baseline. This creates a service box of 10x22 feet (3.04x6.70m). The net is placed at a height of 31 inches (0.78m). On the west coast, a restraint line is drawn 12 feet (3.66m) back parallel to the net. When in use, all players must keep both feet behind the restraint line until after the player receiving the serve has struck the ball. All paddle rules are similar to tennis. Paddle tennis second serves also have to be bounced at least once in the other opponents side.

Summary

* Players: Four, played in a doubles format. * Serves: Serves must be underhand. A second serve is allowed only in the event of a net ball that lands in bounds, as in tennis. * Score: Scoring method is the same as in tennis. Matches are best of five sets. * Ball: Tennis ball with reduced pressure. * Paddle: Solid with no strings. May be perforated. * Court: There are two styles of courts. East and West coast styles. * Walls: Walls or fences play the same role as in tennis, once the ball comes in contact with either the point is over.

References