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As a dedicated squash enthusiast, I’ve always been intrigued by the rising popularity of padel. The sport’s rapid worldwide growth and the buzz surrounding it is enough to capture any squash player’s attention. So, when the opportunity presented itself to give padel a go in El Gouna, Egypt, alongside some of the top names in squash, I took the opportunity.
Setting the Scene: El Gouna’s Coastal Courts
Tucked away behind El Gouna Squash Club, there’s three beautifully kept padel courts that appear to be busy from first thing in the morning until…first thing in the morning! You’ll see people hitting balls at all hours of the day in the baking heat.
The courts, nestled within one of Egypt’s beautiful holiday resorts, were a far cry from the cold Northern-English squash courts I’m accustomed to. The open-air environment introduced new variables – most notably, a persistent breeze that would hamper any attempts at lobbing (more on that later).
Star-Studded Company: Sharing the Court with Squash Elites
Joining me on the court were some of squash’s finest: Nicolas Mueller, Jasmine Hutton, Curtis Malik, SJ Perry, Jonah Bryant, and the legendary Nick Matthew.
Thankfully, the experience levels at padel varied, and the sport is also a fantastic leveller. Where on a squash court I’d have been packing my bags within minutes, we were able to have fun, vaguely competitive rallies – a nice surprise!
English squash player Jonah Bryant using the Dunlop Galactica Pro LS
The Learning Curve: Transitioning from Squash to Padel
Despite 8 years of regular squash playing, I quickly realised that picking up a padel racket wasn’t going to be a walk in the park. The enclosed glass walls and cages, which are integral to padel, introduced hard-to-predict ball bounces that often left me out of position.
The tactical aspects also differed. In squash, aggressive, attacking play and quick reflexes are paramount. Padel, however, emphasised patience, strategic positioning, and effective communication with your partner. The coastal breeze further complicated matters, making lobs—a crucial defensive and positioning tool in padel – particularly challenging.
While my first padel outing proved there was lots to learn, there’s no denying that squash players come into the game with a solid foundation. Despite the unique quirks of padel, I found a surprising number of skills and instincts transferred well:
1. Movement and Footwork
Squash players are conditioned to stay low, move efficiently, and recover quickly – all of which are gold in padel. The lateral movement patterns in both sports are quite similar, and squash’s emphasis on explosive bursts and dynamic lunges translates naturally to the smaller padel court. While positioning in padel takes some getting used to (especially when glass walls are called into action), the general athleticism developed in squash gives you a definite edge.
2. Soft Hands and Touch
Padel is a game of control and finesse, and squash players typically have well-developed soft hands thanks to the variety of shots found on a squash court. That touch is incredibly useful in padel, where placement often trumps power.
3. Reflexes, Court Awareness
Years of reacting to fast-paced rallies in squash help immensely when you’re volleying at the net in padel. The volleying battles can come thick and fast, and that squash-honed ability to stay alert and ready to react made a big difference – especially against opponents who were already padel-savvy.
4. Using the walls
The obvious similarity between squash and padel – the walls surrounding the court. The instinct to play a side-wall or a back-wall boast when caught out of position is one developed from years of playing squash, and something unlikely to come naturally to players who’ve only played tennis.
5. Overall Fitness and Court IQ
Squash as a sport helps to build cardiovascular fitness and tactical awareness. While padel is less physically demanding in terms of endurance, the strategic side of the game is just as nuanced. The habit of thinking a shot or two ahead, identifying patterns, and adjusting quickly – all central to squash º are great foundations to build on in padel.
Equipment Matters: The Dunlop Galactica Pro LS
A special shout-out to PDH Sports for providing me with a beautiful Dunlop Galactica Pro LS racket. Where I often write detailed articles and reviews about squash rackets, having only ever used this one-single racket, it’s hard for me to find a point of comparison. However, for my first time on the padel court, I quickly became comfortable enough with the racket to try out a broad variety of padel shots (half an hour watching YouTube tutorials before playing proved somewhat useful!).
There was a nice grippy texture on the face of the racket which I found helped me place a good amount of spin on the ball. The weight also felt comfortable to play with and easy to adapt to, having come from using much lighter squash rackets.
I would also like to imagine that, thanks to the racket, I at least looked the part while hitting the ball straight into the walls, into the net and out of the court. You’ve got to start somewhere!
If you want a more technical breakdown of the racket, have a watch of PDH Sports’ review below with Aimee Gibson, a World Top #100 player who actually knows what she’s talking about!
You can purchase the Dunlop Galactca Pro LS here.
Embracing the Padel Challenge
This padel session was a fun, yet humbling, experience. Despite playing at a reasonable level at squash, I found myself making beginner errors, misjudging ball trajectories, and struggling with positioning. However, these challenges made the experience all the more rewarding. Starting fresh at a brand new sport put me at the very bottom a steep learning curve, which meant I found myself improving extremely quickly.
Playing in the Egyptian sunshine was also a nice change – the appeal of padel became immediately clear in warm climates. I’m yet to be sold on the idea of playing Padel on a cold english Tuesday night, however.
Swiss Squash Player Nicolas Mueller using an Adidas Padel racket
Final reflections: Can squash and padel co-exist?
I produced a fun, quick video for SQUASHTV where I interviewed SJ Perry and Nick Matthew to understand whether the two sports can live in harmony, or whether the two sports sit in direct competition with one another.
One of the key takeaways was that padel, in many clubs, has actually increased the footfall on their squash courts. When the courts are booked up, players will often give squash a try in place of playing padel. It’s also united squash and tennis communities into one sport, thus putting more money into clubs around the UK, allowing them to improve and renovate their facilities for all sports-playing-members. To me, this sounds like a win-win.