10 Tennis Habits That Ruin Your Padel Game (And How to Fix Them)

By Gary, founder of RacketRise. Glasgow-based, covering padel and pickleball across the UK.

Last Updated: April 2026.

Quick Summary

• Tennis converts reach club-level padel 3× faster than absolute beginners because skills transfer — but some tennis instincts actively sabotage your padel game.
• The 10 habits covered here range from overhitting groundstrokes to ignoring the walls to serve-as-weapon thinking. Each has a specific fix.
• Most tennis habits take 5–15 conscious practice sessions to break. The full unlearning takes 6–12 months.
• Biggest single fix: stop camping at the baseline. Padel rewards the team at the net, not the team defending from the back.
• Get one coaching session early — an LTA Padel coach (£40–£60) can identify which of your tennis habits are hurting you and embed correct padel technique before bad habits solidify.

Most UK tennis players who switch to padel reach club-level within 10–15 sessions — faster than absolute beginners. But ten tennis habits actively hurt their padel game. If you're a tennis player who's just taken up padel, these are the ten instincts to unlearn first.

Table of Contents

• 1. Overhitting Groundstrokes
• 2. Baseline Camping
• 3. Ignoring the Walls
• 4. Smashing Everything
• 5. Relying on Your Serve
• 6. Full Groundstroke Swings
• 7. Hitting Flat Instead of Slice
• 8. Chasing Balls to the Wall
• 9. Over-Covering Your Partner
• 10. Treating Padel Like Singles

1. Overhitting Groundstrokes

The tennis habit: Tennis rewards heavy topspin groundstrokes that clear the net by 1–2m and dip into the back third of the court. Swing hard, hit deep, push your opponent back.

Why it fails in padel: Padel courts are 30% smaller and fully enclosed. A tennis-power groundstroke either flies over the glass (out of court, you lose the point) or hits the back wall too hard, giving opponents an attackable rebound at the net.

The fix: Swing at 60–70% of your tennis max. Focus on placement and depth within the court, not aggressive power. Most UK club padel rallies are won by the calmer, more consistent player — not the hardest hitter. Practice: deliberately hit your first 20 forehands of every session at 50% power to reset your swing calibration.

2. Baseline Camping

The tennis habit: In singles tennis, owning the baseline is correct — you have maximum court coverage and can attack or defend any shot from there.

Why it fails in padel: Padel is doubles-only and rewards net dominance. The team that gets both players to the net wins 70%+ of UK club rallies. Staying at the baseline as a tennis habit leaves you losing points you should win.

The fix: After every serve or return, consciously move forward to the net alongside your partner. Set a mental rule: by shot 3 of every rally, you should be at the net. Train this as an automatic pattern, not a tactical decision. The bandeja shot specifically exists to let you maintain net position even on defensive overheads.

3. Ignoring the Walls

The tennis habit: In tennis, every ball heading to the back of the court is an opportunity to hit before it reaches the fence. You run, turn, position, and strike before the ball can pass you.

Why it fails in padel: Balls bounce off the back wall and rebound into play. Trying to hit balls before they reach the wall is awkward, often off-balance, and gives opponents a read on your position.

The fix: Let deep balls pass you and bounce on the court, then rebound off the back wall. Position yourself 2m from the wall, take a controlled shot on the rebound. This is called "playing the glass" and it's padel's fundamental defensive technique. Expect 5–10 sessions of conscious practice before wall play feels natural. Tennis converts who skip this phase never reach intermediate padel.

4. Smashing Everything

The tennis habit: Overheads in tennis are often winners — you hit the ball hard, at an angle, opponents can't reach it.

Why it fails in padel: Padel smashes frequently send the ball over the glass (out of court, lost point) or come back to you off the back wall for opponents to attack. The smash has a much lower success rate in padel than in tennis.

The fix: Learn the bandeja — padel's defensive slice overhead. 80% of what tennis players smash in padel should be bandejas instead. Bandeja sends the ball deep into opponents' court while you maintain net position. Smash only when the ball is clearly above net height and opponents are out of position. See our padel smash technique guide.

5. Relying on Your Serve

The tennis habit: Tennis players with strong serves win easy points. Even average club players count on their serve as a reliable point-starter.

Why it fails in padel: The padel serve is underarm, struck below waist height. No power, no aces. The serve is a rally-starter, not a weapon. Tennis players who expect their serve to dominate points lose consistently to opponents who treat the serve as neutral.

The fix: Treat the serve as a setup. Focus on placement and depth, not power. Most padel points are decided on the third or fourth shot, not the serve. Your tennis serve skill transfers partially (good toss timing, footwork) but forget everything about power. See our padel serve technique guide.

6. Full Groundstroke Swings

The tennis habit: Tennis groundstrokes use a long backswing, full hip rotation, and complete follow-through. The swing generates racket-head speed for power and spin.

Why it fails in padel: Padel's smaller court means less time to complete a full swing. The solid, shorter racket doesn't generate the same speed regardless. A full tennis-style swing leaves you out of position for the next shot and often contacts the ball late.

The fix: Shorten your backswing by 30–40%. Compact follow-through. Use hip rotation but less than tennis demands. Padel groundstrokes are more punchy than swept — think "push with control" rather than "swing through the ball."

7. Hitting Flat Instead of Slice

The tennis habit: Flat groundstrokes in tennis are penetrating, hard to attack, and clear the net fast.

Why it fails in padel: Flat padel groundstrokes sit up on the bounce — perfect for opponents at the net to smash or volley. The smaller court and walls make flat balls easy to attack.

The fix: Learn padel's slice groundstrokes. Slice keeps balls low after the bounce, tough to attack, and generates natural depth. Most UK intermediate padel players hit primarily slice. Tennis converts who adopt slice fastest reach intermediate level fastest.

8. Chasing Balls to the Wall

The tennis habit: You run to every ball regardless of trajectory, trying to hit it before it reaches a fixed boundary.

Why it fails in padel: Running to a ball heading to the wall is wasted motion — the wall will rebound the ball for you. You just need to be positioned 2m from the wall, not at it.

The fix: When you see a deep ball heading to the back wall, stop. Position yourself mid-court, 2m from the wall. Let the ball bounce, rebound off the wall, and play your shot from there. Fighting this instinct is the single biggest shift for tennis converts. Most UK coaches explicitly drill this with "let it go" exercises where the coach intentionally hits to the wall and makes you hold position instead of chasing.

9. Over-Covering Your Partner

The tennis habit: In tennis doubles, good players cover for partners who are out of position or struggling.

Why it fails in padel: The padel court is small enough that over-covering your partner leaves you out of position for the next shot. Your half is your half — trust your partner to cover theirs.

The fix: Play your half, not theirs. Communicate loudly on middle balls ("mine" / "yours") but don't freelance across the court. Trust your partner even if they miss occasionally — the alternative (you covering everything) means you're out of position constantly. Padel doubles rewards disciplined positioning over heroic partner support.

10. Treating Padel Like Singles

The tennis habit: Tennis singles is about aggressive movement, winning shots, and dominating the court as an individual.

Why it fails in padel: Padel is doubles-only, and points are won through team tactics — positioning, communication, letting your partner finish, tactical lobs that invert court control. Ex-singles players often try to win points alone in padel and get outplayed by tactical pairs.

The fix: Think like a doubles player. Use lobs when opponents are at the net. Let your partner smash when they're in position. Communicate targets before rallies ("let's push them left"). Padel's tactical ceiling is higher than most tennis singles players realise. Embracing the doubles mindset unlocks it.

How to Unlearn These Habits

Get one coaching session early. A single 1-to-1 session (£40–£60) with an LTA Padel coach in the first 2–3 weeks of play will identify which habits are hurting you most and give you conscious drills to address them. Dedicated padel venues have coaches who understand the tennis-to-padel transition.

Video record yourself. Most UK padel venues allow phones — set one up at the back of the court during a 90-minute session and watch the first 10 minutes back. You'll see tennis habits clearly: baseline camping, overhitting, ignoring the walls. Identifying them visually accelerates the fix.

Play with ex-tennis players who've made the transition. Partners who've been through this themselves can call out habits in real-time. UK padel clubs with active tennis-convert communities (Game4Padel, Rocket Padel, Pure Padel) often have mentor-style mixed sessions.

Be patient with the timeline. Individual habits take 5–15 conscious practice sessions to break. The full tennis-to-padel shift takes 6–12 months of regular play. Don't expect perfect adaptation in 3 sessions — it doesn't happen.

Read the pillar guide. Our Tennis to Padel UK 2026 complete transition guide covers the broader context — what transfers, the 6-session learning plan, and where to start in the UK.

Related Guides

• Tennis to Padel UK 2026: Complete Transition Guide — the pillar article
• Padel vs Tennis: Which Racket Sport Should You Play?
• How to Play Padel: Rules, Scoring & Court Layout
• Best Padel Rackets for Beginners UK 2026
• Padel Bandeja Shot Guide — the shot that should replace most of your tennis-smash attempts
• Common Padel Mistakes: 9 Things Beginners Get Wrong