Diego Muñoz

• Sport Sciences (PhD)
• University of Extremadura

The aim of this scoping review was to examine the existing literature on padel among young players (under 18) and classify its main research areas. A systematic search in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science identified 16 studies on teaching methodologies, psychological characteristics, physiological demands, physical attributes, and gameplay paramet...

The aim was to analyze the frequency of finalist technical-tactical actions in professional padel according to their effectiveness and sex of the players. Through a descriptive empirical design, 878 points corresponding to ten WPT matches of the 2023 season were analyzed. Through the creation of decisional trees, it was obtained that, in smashes, r...

The main objective of this study was to analyze the physical fitness parameters in young paddle tennis players. The sample consisted of 18 players (10 boys and 8 girls) aged between 12- and 16-years old belonging to the Technification program for minors of the Valencian Padel Federation. The players completed a test battery that consisted of differ...

Objectives: 1) assess differences in winners between male and female professional padel players during 5 seasons (2018-2022); 2) assess differences in winners between winning and losing pairs of a set during 5 seasons (2018-2022); and 3) predict the evolution of winners in the coming seasons (2023-2027). Methodology: 4,048 winners (2,268 men´s winn...

Objective: this study aimed to analyze the differences between amateur and professional padel players in terms of the type of last shot, its effectiveness and, the court area where it is performed , in both men's and women's padel. Methodology: a total of 180 matches and 2,278 points were systematically observed. Results: amateur players committed...

The aim of this study was to systematically review the existing literature on padel among youth players (under 18). After searching through PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, 16 articles were analyzed, covering teaching methodologies, psychological factors, physiological demands, physical characteristics, and game parameters. Studies on teaching m...

El estudio analizó las diferencias en las acciones finales de los puntos de oro en pádel profesional masculino y femenino, atendiendo a las características del punto, así como al tipo de golpeo utilizado por la pareja ganadora del punto. Se analizaron mediante observación sistemática 418 puntos de oro de 77 partidos de la temporada World Padel Tour...

This study investigated the relative age effect (RAE) in junior padel players participating in the 2024 European Junior Championships by Teams. The sample included 285 athletes (165 boys from 16 boys’ teams and 120 girls from 12 girls’ teams). Dates of birth were categorized into quartiles, and data analysis employed Chi-squared goodnessof-fit test...

Our aim in this study was to analyze gender differences across amateur and professional padel players related to the last shot of each rally. We analyzed a total of 180 games per category (professional and amateur), with 90 games for each gender. We performed descriptive and inferential analyses, including the Chi-square (χ2) statistical test, the...

The aim of this study was to investigate the relative age effect (RAE) in junior padel players participating in the 2024 European Junior Championships by Teams. The sample comprised 285 junior athletes (165 boys from 16 boys’ teams, and 120 girls from 12 girls’ teams). Dates of birth were categorized into quartiles. Data analysis included Chi2 good...

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to analyze whether there are differences in performance indicators between matches played at different altitudes in professional padel. METHODS: Data were collected and analyzed based on players' sex, set number, and set score using video footage from the World Padel Tour (WPT), including open-access TV broadca...

The purpose of this study was to design and validate a guide to strategic principles in padel (SPP), offering practical recommendations for both players and coaches. Once the first version of the guide was developed by six relevant researchers in padel, 11 padel experts (all with a federation title as coaches and with experience as a coach and play...

This study aimed to carry out a systematic review of existing research on physiological, physical and anthropometric parameters in padel. After searching through PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science, 33 articles were analyzed, covering physiological, physical, and anthropometric parameters. Physiologically, heart rate varies by sex an...

The aim of this study was to analyze the lob in professional padel, taking into account sex, the player’s side of play, the direction of the lob and the efficiency of the lob. For this purpose, 2063 lobs (933 in men’s and 1130 in women’s) corresponding to 10 matches of the 2024 season of the Premier Padel circuit were analyzed through systematic ob...

The study aimed to analyse the number of satisfactory shots, the effectiveness of the last shot, and the winners, forced errors, and unforced errors in men's and women's professional padel. Data were collected from 41 professional matches at the World Padel Tour Finland Padel Open tournament, focusing on variables such as "set result, effectiveness...

This study aimed to determine the distributions of number of shots per point, point duration, point pace and technical actions during the match in professional men and women padel players. A total of 35,145 hits (3239 points; men = 1602 and women = 1637) were analyzed in 20 matches corresponding to quarterfinal, semifinal and final matches of the W...

The aim were to analyse the effect of the tactical formation of the serving pair on serving and follow-through parameters in professional padel. 1089 points distributed in 217 men's matches (19 sets), corresponding to 8 matches of the World Padel Tour circuit played in 2020, were analysed by systematic observation. The results show that from the le...

El objetivo del estudio es analizar parámetros del saque y resto en función del tipo de punto, efectividad del punto y número de golpeos. Se analizaron mediante observación sistemática 422 puntos correspondientes a 8 partidos (4 masculinos y 4 femeninos) del torneo Barcelona Master Finals del circuito World Padel Tour 2022. Los resultados no muestr...

Padel tennis is played on different surfaces and the padel tennis court is made of different materials. This influences how the ball can be played back after it hits or bounces on them. The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of shots played to the fence in professional padel tennis. A total of 489 shots to the fence played by the...

Padel is an intermittent sport that has significantly increased its practice in the past years. Previous studies showed that physical demands significantly differed depending on the results of the match (win or lose). However, no previous studies have investigated the effects on the heart rate variability (HRV) of padel players. The present study e...

The objective of this study was to analyse the effectiveness of finishing actions in men’s and women’s professional padel. To do this, the category, the type of finishing actions, the type of shot and the number of shots in 5513 points from five World Padel Tour tournaments were analysed. The results showed that men made more winners and fewer erro...

The objective of this research was to analyse the shot following the return in men's and women's professional padel according to the importance of the point and the service tactical position. The type of shot following the return, importance of the shot and tactical position of the serving pair were recorded by systematic observation. A total of 27...

Since the 2020 season the World Padel Tour (WPT) has incorporated the golden point rule, which consists of playing a point to decide the game when the score is deuce (40–40). The objective of this study was to analyze the characteristics of the golden points and the rest of the points in men's and women's professional padel, as well as to identify...

Padel has become one of the most popular racket sports in the world, capturing the interest of researchers and thus increasing the number of manuscripts that revolve around this sport. This article describes the state of development of the science of padel and locates the most relevant journals, authors, institutions, countries and keywords on the...

The goal of this research was to analyze how situational variables such as the tactical position and the direction of the serve, the return's direction, and the score affect the vertical trajectory (VT) of the return (straight or lob) in men's and women's professional padel. For this, a sample of 2752 points (1431 men and 1321 women) corresponding...

Padel is a complex racket sport with a wide variety of technical actions and tactical possibilities. The aim was to compare the duration of the rallies, the number of shots, the shot frequency and the shot frequency between elite and amateur padel players of different genders, which is necessary to guide the training process. The results show that...

The study aims to analyze the differences between winning and losing pairs depending on the sex and the round of the tournament in professional padel. A total of 814 matches (438 men and 376 women) from the draw rounds of eight World Padel Tour Open and Master tournaments played during the 2022 season were analyzed by systematic observation. The re...

This study aimed to analyze the relationship between ball impact point, type of stroke, and shot direction in high-performance padel. A total of 8363 strokes from nine matches of three national tournaments involving a total of 24 male players were subjected to systematic observation. The variables analyzed were type of stroke, shot direction, and b...

The aims were to I. assess the differences in unforced errors between men’s and women’s professional padel players, II. assess the differences in unforced errors between winners and losers of the set in professional padel players, III. analyse the evolution of unforced errors in professional padel. To do this, the unforced errors (which are provide...

Purpose: This study analyzed the sequences of actions in professional men and women padel players to identify common game patterns. Methods: The sample comprised 17,557 stroke-by-stroke actions (N = 1640 rallies) of the championship World Padel Tour. Multistep Markov chains were used to calculate the conditional probabilities of occurrence of actio...

Purpose: our aim was to analyze the characteristics of the off-the-wall smash in men´s and women´s padel, and to compare gender differences in the set-dependent frequency of these shots. Study sample: through systematic observation, we analyzed 441 off-the-wall smashes from the Final Master of the 2022 season of the World Padel Tour. Results: showe...

El objetivo del estudio fue analizar las diferencias entre las últimas acciones en pádel (penúltimo y último golpeo de la misma pareja), en función de su efectividad (winners y errores), atendiendo a las posibles diferencias entre sexos. Se analizaron mediante observación sistemática un total de 878 puntos correspondientes a 10 torneos del circuito...

El pádel ha tenido un crecimiento exponencial en las últimas décadas y es practicado por jugadores de diferentes edades y niveles competitivos, sin embargo, nuncase han analizado las características de las palas que utilizan. Por ello, el objetivo del estudio fue analizar las características de las palas utilizadas por jugadores de pádel amateur ma...

Los objetivos fueron analizar los resultados de cada set en partidos World Padel Tour (WPT) disputados a tres sets, según la incorporación o no del punto de oro y evaluar si la diferencia de juegos en el primer o segundo set y la introducción o no de la regla del punto son variables predictoras de ganar el tercer set de un partido. Para ello, se an...

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to analyze the efficiency of the serve in relation to different tactical parameters in men’s professional padel. METHODS: A total of 1089 points - from 217 games and 19 sets - from 8 World Padel Tour matches played in 2020 were analyzed by systematic observation. RESULTS: The results showed that the ordinary nu...

Análisis del remate en pádel junior masculino y femenino Cultura, Ciencia y Deporte | Abstract The aim of this study was to analyze the types of smashes in men´s and women´s junior padel according to the direction of the ball and its effectiveness, making a comparison between the men´s and women´s gender. To do this, 1175 smashes corresponding to s...

Padel is the world's fastest growing racket sport. However, the analysis of the intake of sports supplements in padel players is scarce. The aim of this research was to analyse and compare the type of diet and the use of sports supplements in padel players according to their competition level and sex. A total of 123 players (94 men and 29 women) pa...

The objective of this research was to analyze the importance of maintaining the net position in men’s and women’s professional padel. The data sample was drawn from 2,756 padel rallies (n = 1,434 men’s and n = 1,322 women’s) in matches played during the 2021 season of the World Padel Tour circuit. The results showed that there was no net exchange i...

El objetivo del estudio es analizar los golpes ganadores y errores en pádel en función del género, tipo de punto y duración del punto. Se analizaron mediante observación sistemática 1927 puntos correspondientes a 14 partidos (7 masculinos y 7 femeninos) del Master Finals 2021 del circuito World Padel Tour, donde participaron un total de 32 jugadore...

El objetivo fue analizar las características de los remates finalistas, a través del instrumento validado OASP, según su efectividad en pádel profesional y según el género de los jugadores. Para ello se analizaron 806 remates finalistas de 42 partidos masculinos y 29 femeninos correspondientes a seis torneos World Padel Tour de la temporada 2021, r...

The aim of this research was to analyse the differences in performance indicators between outdoor and indoor professional padel tournaments according to the gender of the players, the round in the draw, the set number, and their result. Performance indicators (winning break points, errors, winning shots, winning smashes. . .) of 942 sets (402 match...

The aim of the study was to carry out a systematic review of the most recent research on performance analysis in padel. An electronic search was made in four sport science databases: Web of Science, Pubmed, Scopus and Google Scholar. Systematic review principles were used to identify and select studies following inclusion and exclusion criteria. Fr...

El objetivo del presente estudio fue analizar la velocidad y la precisión en el saque de jugadores de pádel amateur de categoría masculina, según las categorías y experiencia de los participantes; así como según lado y dirección. Para ello, se analizó la velocidad y la precisión de 1080 saques, registrando el lado (derecho e izquierdo) y dirección...

El objetivo del presente trabajo fue analizar la influencia del marcador durante el juego y el set sobre parámetros de volumen e intensidad de juego en pádel profesional. Se analizaron mediante observación sistemática un total de 3241 puntos (1639 femeninos y 1602 masculinos) correspondientes a 22 partidos de la temporada 2020 del circuito profesio...

Iron (Fe) metabolism and concentrations change during a sports season. Fe deficiency affects a significant number of women athletes. The aims of the present study were: (i) to analyze changes in hematological parameters of Fe status and (ii) to analyze changes in Fe concentrations in different biological matrices (serum, plasma, urine, erythrocytes...

El objetivo del presente trabajo fue analizar las diferencias existentes entre pádel profesional masculino y femenino en parámetros de volumen de juego e intensidad, así como la influencia de la ronda de juego y el número de set. Se analizaron mediante observación sistemática 5.513 puntos de 38 partidos correspondientes a cinco torneos World Padel...

El objetivo de esta investigación fue analizar la influencia del punto de oro sobre el número de golpeos en pádel profesional masculino y femenino y su relación con el set. Para ello, se analizaron 2760 puntos (1432 puntos masculinos y 1328 puntos femeninos) pertenecientes a seis torneos del circuito World Padel Tour de la temporada 2021. Los resul...

Purpose The present study aimed to analyse sex differences in cadmium and lead concentrations in plasma, urine, platelets and erythrocytes and to relate these concentrations to biomarkers of iron status. Methods A total of 138 soccer players divided according to sex: men (n=68) and women (n=70) participated in the present study. All participants r...

El objetivo del presente trabajo fue analizar la influencia de la regla del punto de oro en parámetros de juego en pádel profesional. Se analizaron mediante observación sistemática un total de 91 sets (47 femeninos y 44 masculinos) de las temporadas 2019 y 2020 del circuito profesional World Padel Tour. Los resultados obtenidos mostraron una mayor...

Eye-tracking research has allowed the characterisation of gaze behaviours in some racket sports (e.g., tennis, badminton), both in controlled laboratory settings and in real-world scenarios. However, there are no studies about visual patterns displayed by athletes in padel. Method: The aim of this exploratory case study was to address the visual be...

Physical training produces changes in the concentrations of trace mineral elements. Sex differences in copper (Cu) concentrations in athletes are scarce. The objectives of this study were (i) to analyze changes in intracellular (erythrocytes and platelets) and extracellular (plasma and urine) Cu concentrations during a sports season in soccer playe...

Performance in soccer has been associated with specific morphological characteristics. Few studies have simultaneously compared the relationships between physical fitness and body composition in both sexes. This study aimed (i) to analyze the differences in anthropometric parameters , body composition, and physical fitness between sexes and playing...

El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar las zonas de golpeo en pádel profesional en función del género, del jugador que golpea la pelota, del resultado del partido y del tipo de golpe. Se analizaron un total de 3334 golpes correspondientes a los 4 primeros juegos de los 14 partidos del Master Final World Padel Tour 2021, en el que participaron los...

RESUMEN El análisis del rendimiento tiene como objetivo registrar y analizar comportamientos y acciones de los deportistas tanto en entrenamientos como en competición, evaluando acciones técnicas y tácticas. Esta línea de investigación ha sido objeto de numerosos estudios en pádel, ya que permite analizar, por ejemplo, conductas espontáneas de los...

Resumen. Los objetivos del presente trabajo fueron analizar la incidencia de lesiones en entrenadores de pádel, así como las causas que las provocan. Igualmente, se trató de identificar ejercicios preventivos que redujeran la aparición de dichas lesiones. Se trata de un estudio descriptivo sobre una muestra de 450 técnicos de Extremadura y un tamañ...

El objetivo de estudio fue analizar los golpes ganadores y los errores en pádel profesional. Se registraron 1.927 golpes correspondientes al Master Final de Madrid del circuito oficial World Pádel Tour 2021, tanto en categoría masculina como femenina. Se tuvieron en cuenta las siguientes variables: eficacia del golpe, la zona de pista, el tipo de g...

El objetivo de este estudio fue realizar una revisión sistemática sobre los estudios que han investigado sobre el deporte de pádel. Se realizó una búsqueda electrónica en la base de datos Web of Science siguiendo la metodología PRISMA. Las palabras clave utilizadas fueron: “pádel” o “paddle” o “padel”. Se utilizaron principios de revisión sistemáti...

El objetivo de este estudio fue realizar una revisión sistemática sobre los estudios que han investigado sobre el deporte de pádel. Se realizó una búsqueda electrónica en la base de datos Web of Science siguiendo la metodología PRISMA. Las palabras clave utilizadas fueron: “pádel” o “paddle” o “padel”. Se utilizaron principios de revisión sistemáti...

The objectives of this study were to analyze the injuries suffered during the previous year by amateur padel players according to the characteristics of the racket, their usual volume of practice and their experience in padel. A total of 950 amateur players (X age: 31.68 years; X weight: 70.84 kg; X height: 170.9 cm) participated voluntarily, compl...

El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar la secuencia de los dos últimos golpeos del punto en pádel, y clasificarlos a través de árbol decisional multivariante. Se analizaron un total de 2110 acciones de juego, siendo las variables analizadas: golpeo, zona de la pista, eficacia, dirección, resultado y lado de juego. Los partidos fueron analizados m...

Molybdenum (Mo) and zinc (Zn) play important roles in the process of adaptation to physical training. The aims of the present study were: (i) to analyze the differences in extracellular (plasma and urine) and intracellular (erythrocytes and platelets) Mo and Zn concentrations between sexes and (ii) to relate extracellular Zn concentrations with bio...

El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar la distribución y la eficacia de los golpes finalistas de ataque en el pádel profesional en función de la distancia de golpeo a la red y el género de los jugadores. La muestra incluyó 633 acciones técnico-tácticas de ataque que finalizaron el punto. Las variables analizadas fueron: acciones técnico-tácticas...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the acute effect of a single dry sauna bath lasting twelve minutes on the indirect determination of the one maximum repetition (1RM) leg press among trained and untrained participants. Thirty young men participated in the study, a trained group (TG; n = 15; age: 20.97 ± 0.44 years) and an untrained group (UG; n...

Iron (Fe) is one of the most widely studied trace mineral elements. Fe metabolism and homeostasis could be altered by physical training. The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of long-term physical training on serum, plasma, urine (extracellular), erythrocyte and platelet (in-tracellular) Fe concentrations. Forty men from the same geogr...

The objective was to analyze the effectiveness in men’s and women’s professional padel of errors and winners depending on the type of shot and the importance of the situation during each game. In addition, differences between men and women were identified. The sample was made up of 2759 points corresponding to the games that finished with a golden...

RESUMEN El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar las estadísticas de saque en pádel profesional, en función del lado de la pista y el género de los jugadores, y su relación con la estrategia y el punto de oro. La muestra estuvo compuesta de 455 saques de un total de 8 partidos (4 masculinos y 4 femeninos) del torneo Máster Final del circuito oficia...

El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar la influencia de la regla del punto de oro en el rendimiento en pádel profesional, observando las posibles diferencias existentes entre ganadores y perdedores, así como entre género, rondas de juego y sets. Para ello, se analizaron todos los partidos de cuartos de final, semifinales y finales, tanto en categ...

This study aimed to assess the physical fitness and upper body asymmetries of young padel players aged between 13 and 16 years and to determine the possible differences between genders and categories. A total of 60 padel players were divided into four groups: under-14 male (n = 15; age: 13.75 ± 0.45 years; height: 1.64 ± 0.07 m; weight: 54.7 ± 8.3...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Tetraselmis chuii (TC) microalgae sup-plementation for sixty days on hematological, anthropometric and hormonal parameters in healthy young men. Forty-six men divided into a placebo group (PG; n = 16; 20.77 ± 2.7 years; 72.14 ± 7.18 kg; 1.76 ± 0.07 m), a group supplemented with 25 mg/day of TC (S...

Trace mineral element concentrations are under homeostatic control. Selenium (Se) is a very important micronutrient for the antioxidant and immune system. Se metabolism could be modified due to physical training. This research aimed to analyze the extracellular (plasma, urine and serum) and intracellular (platelets and erythrocytes) concentrations...

El objetivo del presente estudio fue analizar los posibles cambios en parámetros de composición corporal y contenido de agua en jugadores de pádel noveles, tras la disputa de un partido. La muestra estaba compuesta de 24 jugadores (edad= 36,87±8,74 años) con una experiencia en el deporte de pádel entre 1 y 2 años, con una frecuencia de práctica de...

Background: Physical exercise affects zinc (Zn) homeostasis. This study aimed to analyze the influence of physical training on extracellular (serum, plasma, and urine) and intracellular (erythrocytes and platelets) concentrations of Zn. Methods: Forty young men, divided into a training group (TG; n = 20; 18.15 ± 0.27 years; 68.59 ± 4.18 kg; 1.76...

Padel, an increasingly popular sport, presents some associated cardiovascular risks, which can be prevented by heart rate variability (HRV) monitoring. However, there is no study worldwide that characterizes HRV during padel games. Therefore, this study aims to monitor HRV responses and characterize them using linear and non-linear metrics at three...

El saque es uno de los golpes más importantes en pádel, ya que permite alcanzar una posición cercana a la red al poner la pelota en juego, comenzando el punto en una situación ventajosa. Además, representa un 10% de los golpes que se realizan en un partido de pádel. El éxito del saque depende, principalmente, de aspectos técnicos y tácticos. En el...

To carry out research that analyzes performance indicators through observational methodology, it is necessary to have validated tools. The purpose of this study was to design and validate a tool to ascertain the characteristics of the strokes that padel pairs use to reach the net and their consequences in the two subsequent shots of the game. Eleve...

El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar la relación entre la altura, la posición del ranking, lateralidad (diestro vs. zurdo) y el lado de juego (derecha vs. revés) de los 100 mejores jugadores de pádel del mundo tanto en categoría masculina como femenina, atendiendo al ranking profesional World Pádel Tour (WPT) 2020. Los resultados demuestran l...

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of service tactic formation on players’ movements and point outcome at two different performance levels. The sample contained 2,148 points corresponding to 18 matches from two male padel indoor tournaments. Players were classified according to their game level: high-level (N = 36; age = 33.3 ± 6.9...

El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar las diferencias en los parámetros de carga externa entre el pádel masculino y femenino profesional. Se analizaron un total de 1042 puntos correspondientes a 8 partidos de 4 torneos diferentes del circuito oficial World Padel Tour 2019. La carga externa fue evaluada a través del análisis de variables temporal...

This manuscript aims to evaluate the influence of a novel passive heat acclimation program among human participants in the physical performance, as well as in several physiological parameters. 36 male football players were acclimated using a dry sauna bath to extreme hot (100 ± 3 °C), performing a total of nine sauna sessions with a weekly frequenc...

Aims The aim of this study was to compare serum vanadium (V) concentrations between athletes of different sports modalities and people who did not practise physical exercise regularly. Methods One hundred and twenty-one subjects divided into a control group (CG; n = 37; 1.75 ± 0.03 m; 79.45 ± 10.20 kg; 24.72 ± 6.06 years) and an athletes’ group (A...

El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar la influencia de la lateralidad y el lado de juego de los jugadores en la distribución, dirección y eficacia de los golpeos en pádel de alto nivel. La muestra incluyó 8680 golpeos correspondientes a 1055 puntos de 9 partidos de prime�ra categoría nacional. Los partidos fueron analizados a través de observaci...

The aims of the present study were to examine the fitness characteristics of professional padel players and to determine differences in physical performance regarding players’ gender. Thirty professional padel players (men: n = 15, age = 27.4 ± 6.8 years, height = 177.9 ± 4.0 cm; women: n = 15, age = 30.0 ± 4.2 years, height = 166.6 ± 4.8 cm) compl...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the acute and adaptive effects of passive extreme heat (100 ± 3 °C) exposition in combination with a strength training protocol on maximal isometric handgrip strength. Fifty-four untrained male university students participated in this investigation. Twenty-nine formed the control group (NG) and 25 the heat-expo...

The health benefits of sauna baths are attracting ever-increasing interest. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of 12 high-temperature (100 °C) sauna baths on body composition of 23 healthy young men, divided into a control group (CG) and a sauna group (SG). Both groups were initially evaluated by dual-energy X-ray abso...

This study aimed to assess the effect of a maximum incremental stress test through urinary concentrations of steroid hormones in trained cyclists. Twenty male cyclists participated in the study (23.83 ± 2.3 years; 1.76 ± 0.03 m; 66.94 ± 3.59 kg; training volume: 20.50 ± 2.35 h/week). Athletes performed a maximum incremental test until exhaustion on...