Zone 36 Padel

Padel at Zone 36

Padel in Islamabad,
explained properly.

It is the fastest-growing racket sport in the world and it has landed in Pakistan hard. If you have never held a padel racket, this page is for you — you will know enough to play by the end of it.

Book the court Read the rules first

The short version

Tennis, squash and a bit of common sense.

Padel is played in doubles on a court roughly a third the size of a tennis court, enclosed by glass and mesh. The racket is solid and stringless. The serve is underarm. And — this is the part people love — the walls are in play, so the ball keeps coming back and rallies last far longer than they would in tennis.

That combination is why padel spreads so fast. A complete beginner and a decent player can have a genuinely competitive game together, which is almost impossible in tennis or squash.

Always four players

Two a side. Singles padel exists but the court at Zone 36, like almost every court, is built for doubles.

Solid racket, no strings

Perforated, stringless and short-handled. Much easier to control than a tennis racket on day one.

Walls are part of the game

After the ball bounces on your side, it can come off the glass and you can still play it. This is the skill that takes longest to learn — and it is the fun part.

An hour is a real game

Most groups book one hour and play plenty. Two hours if you want a proper session or you are rotating five or six people.

How to play

Six rules and you are playing.

  1. Serve underarm, below the waist

    Bounce the ball once on the ground, then hit it below waist height, diagonally into the opposite service box. Two serves, like tennis.

  2. Scoring is tennis scoring

    15, 30, 40, game. Six games take a set. Nothing new to learn here.

  3. The ball must bounce before it hits a wall

    On your side, the ball has to bounce on the floor first. If it strikes the glass before bouncing, you have lost the point.

  4. After the bounce, the walls are yours

    Let it come off the glass and play it back. Using the back wall to your advantage is the single biggest thing that separates a beginner from a good player.

  5. You may volley — except the serve return

    The return of serve has to bounce first. Everything after that can be taken out of the air.

  6. Out is out

    If the ball goes over the enclosure or hits the mesh on the full on your opponent's side before bouncing, the point is over.

That is genuinely enough to start. The finer points — the lob, coming to the net, playing the ball off the back glass — come from playing, not from reading.

The court

Glass walls, floodlit, open till 8 AM.

Zone 36 has one padel court in Jeddah Town, off Main GT Road. Blue playing surface, glass back and side panels, mesh above, and full floodlighting — so a 1 AM game plays exactly like a 6 PM one.

Zone 36's padel court with branded glass surrounds
The padel court at Zone 36 from above

Padel rates

What an hour costs.

Padel court

Without floodlights
1 hourRs 3,500Rs 3,000
2 hoursRs 5,000
With floodlights
1 hourRs 4,000Rs 3,500
2 hoursRs 6,000

That is for the whole court, not per player — four of you splitting a floodlit hour is Rs 875 each. Payment at the venue.

Book the court

First time

Turning up with no idea what you are doing

Do I need to have played tennis?
No. Tennis experience helps with timing, but it also brings habits — a big swing, a hard flat serve — that do not work well in padel. Plenty of people who have never played a racket sport pick padel up faster than tennis players do.
What should I wear?
Whatever you would wear to play cricket or go to the gym. Trainers with decent grip matter more than anything else — the court surface is quick.
Do I need my own racket?
Message Zone 36 on WhatsApp before you come and ask what is available on the night. If you are buying your own later, start with a round-shaped racket — it is far more forgiving than a diamond one.
We are only three people. Can we still play?
Padel really wants four. Message Zone 36 — as the Islamabad padel scene grows, venues are increasingly good at pairing players up, and it is worth asking.
Can we book the padel court and the cricket arena together?
Yes, and for a bigger group it is the best way to use the place — half the group on the pitch, half on the court, swap at the hour. Mention it in your WhatsApp message.

Four of you. One hour. Rs 875 each.

Book the court, turn up, and someone will show you where to stand.

Book the court