How Serve Tactics Shape Game Dynamics in Professional Men’s Padel

Abstract

Padel has become extremely popular in the last decade. Investigators have debated several physical and technical-tactical parameters of performance in the sport, but the influence of serve on match development remains unclear. This study, therefore, aimed to investigate the role of serve strategies on match scores and results. Three thousand five hundred thirty-seven points from 41 men’s matches on the Premier Padel circuit during the 2023 season (27.63 ± 3.75 years, 180.24 ± 6.5 cm) were collected by systematic observation and analysed, with a degree of intra and inter-observer reliability equal to 0.97 and 0.96, respectively. The glass was the favourite serve direction, independently of tactic (64.83%, p < .001). Despite this, serving at the T of the line with the conventional formation increases the winning rate by 2.39 (95% CI: 1.40, 4.09; p = .045), whereas it decreases it by 0.45 (95% CI: 0.21, 0.98; p = .002) at the right side. In addition, the probability of winning each point decreased by 3.84% (p < .001) for each additional rally played, and its total length increased at the second serve (p = .012). As in elder racket sports, serve results as a critical moment of the match that affects the match events. Coaches may focus on tactical strategies, carrying the first ball of every point.