Padel Hydration Guide — How Much to Drink Before, During, and After a Match

Hydration is one of the most underestimated performance factors in padel. Even mild dehydration reduces coordination, reaction time, and decision-making — three things that directly affect your game. This guide tells you exactly how much to drink, when to drink it, what to drink, and how to handle hot conditions.

Why Hydration Matters for Padel

Padel is a physically demanding sport. A typical 90-minute recreational match involves hundreds of short sprints, rapid changes of direction, and sustained mental focus. Sweat rates vary between individuals, but a moderate session in comfortable temperatures produces sweat losses of 0.5 to 1.5 litres per hour. In hot conditions, that can reach 2 litres per hour.

Water is essential to virtually every physiological process: it regulates body temperature through sweat, transports nutrients and oxygen to muscles, lubricates joints, and maintains blood volume. As dehydration increases:

• At 1% body weight lost — thirst begins, minor reduction in aerobic performance
• At 2% body weight lost — noticeable reduction in physical performance and cognitive function (reaction time, concentration)
• At 3% body weight lost — headaches, significant fatigue, coordination impairment
• At 5% body weight lost — serious risk of heat illness, medical attention required

For a 75 kg player, 2% dehydration is just 1.5 litres. That is easily reached in a competitive match without adequate fluid intake — and many players start play already mildly dehydrated.

How Much to Drink Before a Match

Good hydration starts well before you arrive at the court.

The Day Before

If you are playing in the evening, drink regularly throughout the preceding day rather than trying to load up on water in the final hours. Aim for 2 to 2.5 litres of fluid across the day (from water, food, and other beverages). Urine should be pale yellow.

2 Hours Before Play

Drink 500 to 600 ml of water. This gives your kidneys time to process the fluid and excrete any excess before play begins, reducing the need for bathroom breaks during your match.

20 to 30 Minutes Before Play

A final 200 to 300 ml tops up your hydration status without causing stomach discomfort during warm-up. If it is a hot day or you sweat heavily, add a pinch of salt or a small electrolyte tablet to this drink.

Urine Colour Test

The simplest hydration check is your urine colour before play:

Urine Colour	Hydration Status
Pale yellow (straw-coloured)	Well hydrated — you are ready to play
Yellow	Adequately hydrated — drink a little more
Dark yellow or amber	Mildly dehydrated — drink 500 ml now
Brown or orange	Significantly dehydrated — delay play and rehydrate

How Much to Drink During a Match

The general guideline for padel is to drink 150 to 250 ml every 15 to 20 minutes during play. In practice, use changeovers and breaks between games to drink consistently rather than waiting until you feel thirsty.

Thirst Is Not a Reliable Guide

By the time you feel thirsty during exercise, you are already 1 to 1.5% dehydrated — enough to impair performance. Drink on a schedule, not just when prompted by thirst.

Practical On-Court Tips

• Bring your own bottle — do not rely on court-side water dispensers being fully stocked
• Use a 750 ml or 1 litre bottle — adequate for a 90-minute session in temperate conditions
• Drink at every changeover — build this into your routine so it becomes automatic
• Small sips are better than large gulps — large volumes of cold water during exercise can cause cramping; consistent small sips keep your stomach comfortable

What to Drink: Water vs Sports Drinks

Water

Water is the right choice for:

• Sessions under 60 minutes
• Cool or mild weather
• Light to moderate intensity play
• Players who are not heavy sweaters

Plain water is free, calorie-free, and effective for most recreational padel sessions.

Isotonic Sports Drinks

Sports drinks become genuinely useful when:

• Sessions exceed 60 to 90 minutes
• Temperatures are high (above 25°C / 77°F) or humidity is significant
• You sweat heavily (you can judge this by the salt residue on your skin or clothing after play)
• You are playing multiple matches in a day (tournament format)

An isotonic sports drink typically contains 5 to 8 g of carbohydrate per 100 ml and 400 to 600 mg of sodium per litre. This concentration matches the body’s fluid composition closely enough to allow fast absorption without disrupting electrolyte balance.

Homemade Electrolyte Drink

A simple, cost-effective alternative to commercial sports drinks:

• 500 ml water
• A small pinch of salt (about 0.5 g, providing around 200 mg sodium)
• A squeeze of lemon or orange juice (adds potassium and taste)
• 1 teaspoon of honey or sugar (optional, for carbohydrate)

This covers the core electrolytes lost in sweat without the cost or additives of commercial products.

What to Avoid

• Caffeinated energy drinks — while caffeine has performance benefits, high-sugar energy drinks are absorbed slowly and the high caffeine doses in some products can cause anxiety and dehydration
• Carbonated drinks — fizzy drinks fill you up quickly and are less comfortable during intense exercise
• Alcohol — a diuretic that actively impairs rehydration; avoid before and during play, and moderate consumption after

Post-Match Rehydration

Rehydration after a match is as important as pre-match preparation, especially if you play again within 24 hours.

How Much to Drink After Play

A practical guideline: for every kilogram of body weight lost during a session, drink 1.2 to 1.5 litres of fluid. You can weigh yourself before and after a session to calculate this precisely, though most players use the urine colour test as a simpler indicator.

If you do not want to weigh yourself, drink 500 to 750 ml in the 30 minutes after play, then continue drinking regularly over the next 2 hours.

Include Sodium

Plain water post-exercise rehydrates you more slowly than water that contains sodium. This is because sodium stimulates thirst and encourages the body to retain the fluid you consume. If you have sweated heavily, include sodium in your recovery drink or eat salty food alongside water — pretzels, salted nuts, or a meal with moderate salt content all work.

Electrolytes: Sodium and Potassium

Sweat contains a range of minerals (electrolytes) but sodium is by far the most concentrated. Heavy sweaters can lose 1 to 2 g of sodium per litre of sweat.

Sodium

Sodium is the key electrolyte for padel players. It regulates fluid balance, supports muscle contraction, and prevents the dangerous condition of hyponatremia (low blood sodium) that can occur when players drink large volumes of plain water without replacing lost salt. Most people consume adequate sodium in a normal diet, but heavy sweaters benefit from consciously replacing sodium during and after long sessions.

Potassium

Potassium works alongside sodium in muscle function and is often cited in relation to cramps. However, the evidence for potassium deficiency causing exercise cramps is weaker than commonly believed — cramp is more often related to neuromuscular fatigue than electrolyte levels. Nonetheless, potassium is important for overall health. Good sources include bananas, potatoes, dried fruit, and yoghurt.

Magnesium

Some players find magnesium supplementation reduces cramp frequency. Evidence is mixed, but magnesium deficiency is common in active people and supplementation is low-risk. If you experience regular cramps that persist despite good hydration, a magnesium supplement is worth trying.

Hot Weather Hydration

Playing in hot or humid conditions significantly increases fluid and electrolyte losses. Practical adjustments:

• Increase pre-match intake — aim for 600 to 750 ml in the 2 hours before play rather than the standard 500 ml
• Switch to a sports drink — replace at least one of your on-court water bottles with an isotonic drink
• Drink at every point change, not just game changeovers — in extreme heat, fluid loss is rapid enough that 15-minute drinking intervals are too infrequent
• Wear light, breathable clothing — sweat evaporation is your primary cooling mechanism; synthetic technical fabrics that wick moisture away from the skin allow this to work efficiently
• Use cool water on your neck and wrists — physical cooling reduces core temperature and can extend playing time in extreme heat
• Watch for heat illness signs — nausea, confusion, stopping sweating, or very high heart rate are serious warning signs that require immediate rest and rehydration

For complementary advice on fuelling your padel performance, see our padel nutrition guide.