Loads of people come to padel from tennis, and around Manchester it is one of the most common routes onto a court. If you have played a bit of tennis, you already have more going for you than you think. But padel is its own game, and the players who settle in fastest are the ones who know which habits to keep and which to quietly drop.
Here is what actually carries over, what you will need to unlearn, and why some very strong tennis players have a scrappy first few weeks before it clicks.
What carries over from tennis
Plenty, and this is the encouraging part.
- Footwork and court movement. Split step, small adjusting steps, getting your body behind the ball. All of it transfers straight across. Tennis players tend to move better than complete beginners from day one.
- Volleys. Padel is played at the net far more than tennis is, and a clean tennis volley is a real head start. Short punchy contact, no backswing, that is exactly what you want up front.
- Hand and eye, and feel for the ball. Reading pace, judging bounce, timing contact. Years of tennis have built that, and it does not reset when you swap racket.
- Match sense. Knowing when to attack, when to reset, how to build a point. The tactics differ, but the instinct for a rally is already there.
If you want the fuller side by side on how the two sports differ, we have written that up in padel vs tennis.
What you need to unlearn
This is where the honest bit comes in. Your tennis strengths can turn into padel bad habits if you are not careful.
The big swing
Tennis rewards a long, full swing with plenty of racket head speed. In padel that swing is far too big. The court is smaller, the ball comes at you quicker off the walls, and a huge backswing means you are late and out of control. Shorten everything. Think block, punch and guide rather than wind up and crash through.
The heavy topspin grip and the western-ish grips
Most padel is played with a continental grip, the same one you would use for a tennis volley or serve. If you have drifted into a semi-western or western forehand grip for topspin, that will fight you in padel. The continental grip lets you play forehands, backhands, volleys and off the walls without constantly changing hands, which matters when the ball is coming fast.
Trying to hit topspin winners
In tennis, topspin is your friend. In padel, hitting hard flat or heavy topspin from the back too often just sends the ball off the back glass and gives your opponents an easy one. Padel rewards control, placement and patience more than raw power. The lob, the soft chip and the well placed volley win more points than a screamer.
The overarm serve
Forget it. There is no overarm serve in padel, which surprises almost every tennis player. More on that below.
The walls: your brand new skill
This is the single biggest thing tennis does not prepare you for, and the part most tennis players find humbling at first. In padel the ball can come off the back and side glass and stay live, so a shot you would have called a winner in tennis is often just the start of the rally.
Two things take time:
- Letting the ball come to you. The tennis instinct is to take the ball early. Off the back wall you often need to wait, let it rebound, and play it as it drops. Rushing the wall is the classic beginner error.
- Using your own walls. Playing the ball off your back glass on purpose, to dig out a deep shot or reset a point, feels alien at first and becomes second nature with practice.
Good news, this is very learnable, and a couple of sessions with a coach speeds it up massively. Our Manchester coaches page lists people who run beginner and improver sessions.
The underarm serve
Padel serving is underarm and it must bounce once in your service box before you strike it, below waist height, hitting it into the diagonal box past the net. No booming aces, no second serve nerves in the same way. For a tennis player this feels almost too gentle, and the temptation is to try to smash it. Do not. The serve in padel is about starting the point in a good position, not winning it outright. A consistent, well placed serve that lets you and your partner move up to the net is worth far more than a risky one.
It is doubles only, so positioning changes everything
Padel is nearly always played two against two, on a court not much bigger than a doubles service area. There is no singles to fall back on. That changes how you think:
- You move as a pair. If your partner shifts left, you shift with them. You cover the court as a unit, not as two individuals.
- The net is king. The attacking position is both players up at the net. The defending position is both players back. Getting from the back to the net, and stopping your opponents doing the same, is the core battle of most points.
- Communication matters. Calling who takes the middle ball, when to lob, when to switch, all of it. Tennis doubles helps here, tennis singles less so.
Why very good tennis players sometimes struggle at first
Here is the bit that reassures every frustrated beginner. Strong tennis players occasionally have a harder start than complete newcomers, and there are good reasons for it.
Their instincts are louder. A big swing, taking the ball early, going for topspin winners, all deeply grooved over years, and all slightly wrong for padel. A complete beginner has no habits to fight. The tennis player has to override theirs mid rally, which is genuinely hard.
The flip side is that once it clicks, and it usually clicks within a handful of sessions, that tennis background becomes a serious advantage. The movement, the volleys and the feel come roaring back, now pointed in the right direction. So if your first game or two feels scrappy, that is completely normal and not a sign you have picked the wrong sport.
A sensible first month
- Play with people slightly better than you where you can. You will learn the walls faster.
- Book one session with a coach early to sort your grip and swing size before bad habits set in.
- Shorten every swing and aim for control over power for the first few weeks.
- Practise the underarm serve until it is boring, then keep going.
When you are ready to book, our Manchester venues page lists courts across the city, and if you fancy some social games to find your feet, keep an eye on the events page. If you are still gathering kit, our guides to rackets and shoes will point you in the right direction.
FAQ
Is padel easier than tennis for a tennis player?
The basics come quicker because your movement, volleys and ball feel transfer straight over. The tricky parts are unlearning the big swing and getting used to the walls, but most tennis players are playing enjoyable games within a few sessions.
Can I use a tennis grip in padel?
Use the continental grip, which is the same one you use for a tennis volley or serve. Avoid semi-western or western forehand grips, as they make wall play and quick exchanges much harder.
Why is my tennis swing not working in padel?
It is almost certainly too big. The padel court is smaller and the ball arrives faster off the glass, so a long backswing leaves you late and out of control. Shorten it to a punch or a block and you will feel the difference straight away.
Do I need a new racket, or can I use my tennis racket?
You need a padel racket. They are shorter, solid with no strings, and shaped completely differently. Have a look at our racket guide to pick one, and there is no need to spend a fortune to start.
How long until padel feels natural if I come from tennis?
Most tennis players feel comfortable within three or four sessions, with the walls taking a little longer. A lesson early on speeds the whole thing up.