Analysis of the situation on the court of the players in the serve and its relationship with the direction, the side of the court and the result of the point in high-level padel

Abstract

The aim of this study was to know the influence of the players’ serve tactical position and its relationship with the direction, the side of the court and the point outcome in elite padel. The sample included a total of 1071 points corresponding to nine matches with 36 male players of 1st National Category. Variables related to the serve tactic position (conventional or Australian), serve direction (side wall or "T"), court side (right or left) and point outcome (serve pair win or lose) were analyzed. The results showed that padel players serve between 75% and 85% of the times to the side wall on the left side of the court (advantages side). On the right side, the percentage of serves to the "T" is increased, especially using an Australian tactical position. Furthermore, serving pair win a higher percentage points when they use traditional tactic. However, these differences are not significant when the players serve to the "T" or the side wall, from both sides of the court. Finally, the percentage of points won by serving pair decreases as the padel match progresses, especially with Australian tactic from the second to the third set. These data have an important practical application in the design of padel exercises based on the specific technical-tactical competition demands.