Video: Top service as whole new ball game takes centre court. Welcome to the world of Padel

‘There are very few aces served in padel’.

So says Toni Monserrat, the Spanish coach of the racquet sport of padel which is being brought to life in Britain at Huddersfield Lawn Tennis and Squash Club.

Two points later and this padel rookie bounces the ball once, twice to build the drama and draws his racquet down in a slicing motion at the ball.

Laced with back-spin, the yellow tennis ball drops tantalisingly over the net. Toni bursts in from the back of the court, aware that his wily opponent might just have outfoxed him.

But he is too slow, the ball bounces a second time and young Westby, a padel novice, has executed an ace.

More out of guilt than jubilation, a hand is raised in apology, as I fully expect Toni to smash with all his might my next serve back over the net and down the sidelines for a winner.

Only in padel, there is no point him blasting the fur off the ball because power is effectively redundant.

For the sport is a cross between tennis and squash, and any forehand smash down the line would only bounce off the astroturf and strike the perspex at the back of the court.

It would then rebound into the open court for the astute opponent to then return, not so much with interest, but perhaps a dash of cunning.

This relatively straightforward art of pivoting on toes was something that proved beyond me in my opening moments of padel on a fine summer’s evening during the Wimbledon fortnight.

I have played squash many a time and have even been known to utilise the side and back walls on occasion.

But stood on what is to all intents and purposes a 20-metre x 10-metre tennis court and having the luxury of a get-out-clause if the ball skips past you, proved difficult to fathom.

That, though, is the beauty of padel. There are very few winners. Rallies are often 10 to 15 strokes long.

It is a very social form of racquet sports, a game for all the family to play.

Blasting the ball as hard as possible gets a player nowhere.

The ability to put back-spin on the ball – not top-spin as in tennis – to pin an opponent into the corner of the rectangular court is the skill.

This I was quickly learning from Toni, whose initial softly, softly approach had quickly transformed into catchy monkey after I had had the nerve to ace him.

By this time myself and my doubles partner, Peter Vann, had broken serve to edge 3-1 ahead in the opening set.

Toni and his playing partner Bob Hall, a squash player and all-round racquet sports junkie, decided enough was enough and quickly redressed the balance at 4-4.

For sports enthusiasts like Peter and Bob, padel comes naturally. The skills are directly transferable from tennis, squash or badminton. It is easy to play.

The racquet itself is plastic with a foam centre, and the merest of swings of the racquet head will get the ball rocketing off over the net.

So in the early stages, controlling the speed of the racquet head is tricky.

As is understanding the proximity of the racquet head to the wrist.

Tennis and squash racquets have long handles connected to their heads.

A padel racquet is like a beach bat, short and fat, with the head close to the hand.

In short, once the slight nuances are ironed out, anyone with basic hand-eye co-ordination can pick up a padel racquet and play the game.

Basic, however, is a very apt description of my skills and it was not long before Toni and Bob were celebrating a first set victory.

Any chance of immediate retribution was cut short when Toni’s services were required elsewhere, by two club members who were coming for a lesson.

Padel is slowly but surely catching on. What its driving force Peter Vann wants is more players so they can hold a club championship, and more local tennis and squash clubs to follow their lead by building padel courts to get more people and families playing the sport.

“It’s such a social game, easy to play for all ages, and can be a source of real enjoyment,” says Peter. “We are offering pay and play, no membership is required, so anyone can try.”

More popular than football in Argentina

Padel originated in Mexico in the late 1970s.

Predominently a game played in Latin countries, there are more people playing padel in Argentina than there are playing football.

Six million people play padel in Spain, compared to only 200,000 who play tennis.

The Padel Academy at Huddersfield Tennis and Squash Club is the first of its kind in England.

There are two floodlit courts at Huddersfield, built earlier this year in Spain and shipped over. The purchase was aided by a grant from Kirklees Council of £20,000.

A padel court is 20-metres x 10-metres; roughly two-thirds the size of a tennis court.

There are only two other courts in England, in Surrey.

Of the 1,000 members using the tennis, squash and gym facilities at the Huddersfield club, 60 play padel, 20 of whom travel in from outside Huddersfield.

Huddersfield members Mike Tolman, Kelly-Jane Tolman and Caroline Mount have all represented England in the sport.

The points system in padel is the same as in tennis.

England finished 10th out of 13 nations at last year’s World Championships, won by Spain.

The cost of hiring a padel court for a 45-minute session is £12. Non-members pay a £2.50 visitors’ fee and can pre-buy six visits for the price of five.

Social sessions are held Tuesday and Thursday evenings and cost £7 per person for 90 minutes.