The Influence of Hitting Locations on Shot Outcomes in Professional Men’s Padel

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Abstract
In padel, there exists four possible outcomes after hitting: into play, winners, forced errors and unforced errors. Courts are divided into three zones: baseline, transition and net. The objective of this study was to analyse how shot outcomes may vary based on the hitting location where they were executed. A total of 10,321 shots from the Premier Padel 2022 circuit were assessed through systematic observation. Type of shots, hitting locations and final outcomes were analysed. Significant differences (p < 0.001 to 0.005) were found in shot outcomes across hitting locations. At the baseline, into-play forehands, backhands, and lobs were performed more frequently than at the net (p < 0.001) and resulted more often in unforced errors compared to the transition zone (p = 0.003–0.026). Overhead shots were performed more frequently at the transition zone compared with the others, specifically in into play (p ≤ 0.001 to 0.026), winners (p = 0.008 to 0.026) and unforced errors (p = 0.005 to 0.038). The net was the only zone where all types of outcomes were observed, with volleys being the most frequently performed shot. These results confirm that shot outcomes vary significantly according to their hitting location.

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