Serve and rally continuation in professional women´s padel in Australian formation: a technical-tactical analysis

Abstract

Research in padel has primarily focused on professional male players, particularly on serve analysis. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the technical–tactical variables of the serve and its development in women’s padel during the 2025 Premier Padel tournaments. Through systematic observation, 1,138 points from 10 matches across four tournaments were analyzed. The predominant serve direction was toward the side glass (65.37%). The return was mostly a lob (53.69%), and following it, the server hit the next shot in 53.42% of the cases. The most frequent third shot was the bandeja (37.52%), followed by the forehand volley (22.14%). The serving pair won 55.27% of the points, with rallies mainly ending in winners (60.89%), most frequently with a bandeja (18.98%) or forehand volley (16.52%). Inferential analysis revealed significant differences according to serve direction (p<.05). Serves toward the side glass were associated with flat returns (ASR=8.17), backhand or forehand volleys as third shots (ASR=1.99–6.19), and a higher probability of winning the point on serve (ASR=2.60). In contrast, serves to the body or the “T” were more often followed by lob returns (ASR=4.75–5.53), bandejas as third shots (ASR=3.08–5.03), and back-wall shots after serves to the “T” (ASR=4.75), with greater effectiveness for the returning pair on body serves (ASR=2.34). No significant differences were found in the type of player involved after the return (p=.422) or in the distribution of errors (p=.199), although differences appeared in winners according to rally length (p=.016). Additionally, an association was found between rally length and the winning pair (p<.001), with higher effectiveness for the serving pair in rallies of 5–8 shots (ASR=2.83–2.30) and for the returning pair in rallies longer than 15 shots (ASR=3.94). These findings allow for tactical individualization and provide valuable guidance for training strategies in women’s padel.