The relative age effect in the professional Padel circuit

Abstract

Padel has become one of the most practiced sports in Spain.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the Relative Effect of Age (RAE) in theWorld PadelTour (WPT) circuit players (n = 395) taking into account the month of birth, gender, nationality, age and ranking.The quarterly distribution observed was not significantly different (X2; p>.05) than expected for the general group or for any of the subcategories analyzed.Therefore, it does not seem to confirm an effect of relative age on professional padel players analyzed, considering the ranking, gender and nationality, unlike what happens in other racket sports. Thus, this investigation confirms that the date of birth is not a relevant factor in the WPT circuit and confirms that reaching the elite of the paddle that is not based exclusively on physical and anthropometric factors.