No, playing padel will not ruin your tennis. Most players switch between the two without any problems, and padel can sharpen your volleys, reflexes and court sense. A few padel habits, such as shorter, wristier swings and waiting for the ball to come off a wall, can creep into your tennis, so it helps to know what to watch for.
Plenty of people play both
You are in good company if you play both sports. The LTA reports that two-thirds of padel players in Britain also play tennis (LTA, October 2026). Most of them treat padel as a sociable second sport rather than a replacement, and their tennis carries on as normal.
Padel habits that can creep into your tennis
- Shorter swings. Padel groundstrokes are compact, because the court is small and the walls do part of the work. Bring that into tennis and your ball can land short.
- Waiting for the wall. In padel you often let the ball pass you and come off the back glass. In tennis there is no second chance, so you need to move to the ball earlier.
- Grip and wrist. Most padel players use a continental grip for almost everything and use more wrist on some shots. Tennis forehands usually need a different grip and a fuller swing.
- Lower ball, lower bounce. Padel balls have slightly lower pressure than tennis balls, so your timing can feel a fraction off when you switch back.
- Serving. The padel serve is underarm and hit at or below the waist. It will not affect your overhead tennis serve much, but it gives you less serve practice overall.
Skills that transfer well
- Volleys and reactions. Padel is played close to the net, so your hands get faster and your volleys more compact.
- Doubles positioning. Moving with a partner and covering the middle helps in tennis doubles too.
- Touch and placement. Padel rewards control over power, which can make you a smarter tennis player.
- Footwork. Short, quick adjustment steps are useful in both sports. Our guide to padel footwork drills covers this.
How to play both without losing your tennis
- Warm up for the sport you are playing. Spend the first ten minutes of a tennis session hitting full groundstrokes to reset your swing.
- Keep a tennis session in your week if tennis is your main sport or you play competitively.
- Use the right ball. Do not practise tennis with padel balls or padel with tennis balls. Our guide to padel and tennis balls explains why.
- Mind your elbow and shoulder. Playing two racket sports means more load on the same joints. Build up gradually and read our guide to avoiding tennis elbow in padel.
What about the other way round?
Tennis players usually pick up padel quickly, but some tennis habits hold them back, especially hitting too hard and not using the walls. Our guide on the differences between padel and tennis covers the switch.
The bottom line
Padel will not ruin your tennis. Be aware of shorter swings and waiting for the wall, warm up properly for each sport, and you can enjoy both. Many players find padel makes them better at the net.
Related questions
Is padel good practice for tennis?
It helps some parts of your game, especially volleys, reactions and doubles positioning. It is not a substitute for tennis practice on groundstrokes and serving.
Do many tennis players also play padel?
Yes. The LTA reports that two-thirds of padel players in Britain also play tennis.
Should I use a different grip for padel and tennis?
Most padel coaches teach a continental grip for nearly all shots, while many tennis forehands use a different grip. Switching grips between sports is normal.