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Transitions, or movements in which players move from attacking to defending situations or vice versa, are key situations in high-performance competitive padel, and therefore, they should be specifically trained. The aim of this study was to analyse the transitions made by players from the back of the court to the net in professional padel and compare them by gender. A total of 1350 points from 14 matches from the 2020 World Padel Tour were analysed, in which 32 professional players (16 men and 16 women) participated. The matches were analysed through systematic observation, using the Lince and Kinovea programmes. Results showed that one or no transitions were made in more than 50% of the points. The first transition was made between fifth and sixth shots of the rally, with a higher percentage of points with more than three transitions in women's matches than in men's matches. Counter-attack transitions were done mainly by the serving partner, most frequently using the lob. The most effective counter-attacks were those in which both players approached the net and both defenders moved to the backcourt, with the women teams obtaining the best results in this type of movement as compared to men. On the other hand, men lost the net less often than women. It is concluded that the results can provide useful guidelines for coaches when prescribing and conducting specific training sessions and individualised match preparation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Padel tennis is played on different surfaces and the padel tennis court is made of different materials. This influences how the ball can be played back after it hits or bounces on them. The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of shots played to the fence in professional padel tennis. A total of 489 shots to the fence played by the 8 best pairs (16 male and 16 female players) competing in an international professional tournament were recorded. Using an observational methodology, variables such as the distance of the shot to the net, the side of the court from which the shot was played, the trajectory of the shot and the type of shot were analysed and compared according to gender and effectiveness. The results showed that in women's padel, the overhead shot was significantly more used to play the ball to the fence (48.4%) as compared to men's padel (39.9%), where volleys were significantly more used (39.5%) as compared to women's padel (30.5%). Crosscourt shots were significantly more effective (24.2%) than the down the line ones (16.8%). Groundstrokes were the strokes which produced significantly higher number of winners (25.2%) as well as errors (31.1%). As the distance to the net increased, the effectiveness of the shot played to the fence significantly decreased. These data can serve as a reference for padel players and coaches when planning training sessions adapted to the characteristics of the competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]