Paddle tennis is a version of tennis that is played on a
smaller court. Players use solid light paddles and balls
that are less pressurized than tennis balls. In paddle
tennis (as in standard court tennis), players may not
hit shots bounced off screens.
Paddle tennis was invented in Michigan in 1898 by
Frank P. Beal, a minister who developed it to train
young people for standard court tennis. To make the
adult version more manageable for children, he established a smaller court.
Beal moved to New York City in the 1920s, and the
game became a popular playground game there. It also
spread to other parts of the United States, especially
California.Adults also had begun to play paddle tennis,
and in 1923 the American Paddle Tennis Association
was formed.
Different versions of the game and courts developed, which made it difficult to organize tournaments
on a national basis.
In 1959, the courts were enlarged to a standard size
of 50 feet by 20 feet, divided into two service areas on
each side, and a net in the center of the court 31 inches
(0.7 meters) high. The methods of service were also
changed, including the addition of a one-serve-only
rule. Also adopted were rules requiring that the ball
bounce once on the other side before a volley. These
changes resolved some differences, and in the early
1980s, regional organizations merged and adopted
more standardized rules.
—JOHN TOWNES