I make heavyweight cotton tees. So you'd expect me to tell you to play in one.
I won't. For a proper match, a light polyester top is the better shirt to play in. The fabric science backs that up, and pretending otherwise would be daft.
But cotton has its corner, and it's bigger than you might think. Here's where each one wins, with sources, so you can decide for yourself.
The short answer: for active padel, the most comfortable top is a light, stretchy, breathable synthetic that moves sweat off your skin. A thick cotton tee is the better shirt for the warm-up on a cold night, the hour after the match, and the other six days of the week.
What the fibre actually does
This comes down to one property: how much water the fibre itself holds.
Textile scientists measure it as moisture regain, the moisture a fibre takes up from the air under standard conditions. The reference figures used in the textile trade are 8.5% for cotton and 0.4% for polyester. That's roughly twenty times more for cotton.
On court, that difference shows up as sweat. Cotton soaks it into the fibre and holds on to it. Polyester takes in very little, so far less of your sweat ends up locked inside the fibre itself.
Weight matters too. A 2013 study of cotton knitted fabrics found drying time was strongly linked to how thick, tight and heavy the fabric was. A 305 g/m2 tee is thick by design. That's what gives it the drape. It's also why it stays damp longer once you've sweated into it.
| Heavyweight cotton tee (305 g/m2) | Technical polyester top | |
|---|---|---|
| Holds sweat in the fibre | Yes, a lot | Very little |
| Stays damp | Longer, especially when thick | Less, as the fibre holds little water |
| Feels against the skin | Soft, warm, structured | Light, smooth, cool |
| Smell after hard exercise | Milder in the study below | Stronger in the study below |
| Looks like | A proper top | Sportswear |
| Best moment | Before, after, all week | The match itself |
Where polyester wins: the match
The LTA's padel clothing guide asks for stretch, moisture-wicking and breathable fabrics in what you play in. Put that next to the numbers above and the answer is clear. A fibre that holds twenty times more water, knitted thick and heavy, is the opposite of what that list describes. A 305 g/m2 tee isn't meant to be on it.
Think about what a long rally asks of a shirt. You're lunging wide, reaching up for a smash, twisting back to the glass. Halfway through the second set, a heavy cotton tee is heavier than when you started, and it clings. A light synthetic top just keeps going.
I've played in the Algarve, Malaga and Madrid. In that kind of heat, nobody should be playing in a heavyweight tee, mine included.
If you play hard, play in summer, or play competitively, buy a light technical top for the court. That's the honest answer to "best t-shirt for playing padel".
Where polyester loses: the smell
Here's the catch with polyester.
In 2014, researchers at Ghent University collected the t-shirts of 26 people after a one-hour spinning class. Ten were 100% cotton, ten were 100% polyester, and the rest were blends. They bagged the shirts for 28 hours, then had a trained panel smell them. The polyester shirts smelled significantly less pleasant and more intense. A type of bacteria called micrococci, which the authors link to the bad smell, turned up in almost all the synthetic shirts and almost solely on shirts with synthetic fibre in them.
Two fair caveats. It was 26 people on bikes, not padel players. And it measured smell, not comfort while moving.
Still, it matches what most of us know from the kit bag. Leave a sweaty synthetic top in there overnight and you'll find out. It's one more reason to get out of the playing top as soon as you're off court.
Where 305 g/m2 cotton wins
Everything either side of the match.
The warm-up on a cold night. On a winter evening, the first few minutes are slow feeding and short rallies. A thick cotton tee holds warmth while you're barely moving. Once you start sweating, swap it for the technical top and keep the cotton dry for later. My winter padel guide covers the full layering order.
The hour after. You come off court soaked. The worst thing you can do is sit in a wet top. Towel off and pull on something dry and heavy. This is where thick cotton earns its keep: it feels warm, it's soft on skin that's still flushed, and it looks like a real top at the bar, not gym kit.
The rest of the week. Technical tops look like sportswear because they are sportswear. A heavyweight tee hangs properly and holds its shape on its own, so it works at a desk, at dinner and on a Saturday morning. I wear the brand every day, and in my own words, "to the gym, to work meetings, to work calls, social events, like nights out in London." That's what it's built for.
Which top for which session
| Session | Play in | Then change into |
|---|---|---|
| Competitive match, any season | Technical top | Dry cotton tee |
| Summer evening, outdoor court | Technical top, cap | Dry cotton tee |
| Social hit, warm indoor court | Technical top | Dry cotton tee |
| Gentle hit in a cold hall | Cotton works for the first few games | Dry top before the bar |
| Coaching session or drills | Technical top | Dry cotton tee |
| Watching, or a non-playing day | Cotton | Nothing to change |
Notice the right-hand column never changes. Whatever you play in, bring a dry tee. For a summer version of this, see what to wear for British summer padel. For the whole kit list, shoes included, see the complete guide to what to wear for padel.
What we make, and what we don't
Padelism makes off-court clothes. Our padel t-shirts are 100% cotton at 305 g/m2, cut in an oversized unisex fit. Size down if you want a regular fit, or take your usual size for the oversized look. The size guide has the measurements.
We don't make a playing top, and I'd rather say so than sell you the wrong shirt for the job.
If you want the change-into tee, the Padel & Pints tee is the one I'd point you to first. It's built for exactly the moment after the last point. Tees are £48 each, and any two £48 heavyweight tees drop to £90 at checkout through the 2 for £90 range. That pair also clears free UK delivery, which starts at £75. Browse the full men's range for hoodies and joggers to go with it.
For how tee weights compare across the board, my heavyweight vs lightweight guide explains what gsm means.
FAQ
Which t-shirt is most comfortable for active padel play? A light, stretchy, breathable synthetic top. Polyester's moisture regain is 0.4% against cotton's 8.5%, so far less sweat stays locked in the fibre than with a thick cotton tee.
Why does my polyester padel top smell worse than cotton? A 2014 Ghent University study found polyester shirts smelled significantly stronger and less pleasant than cotton after a hard workout, with micrococci bacteria found almost only on the synthetic shirts. Wash it soon after playing rather than leaving it in the bag.
Why does a thick cotton tee take so long to dry? Two reasons stack up. Cotton fibre holds far more water than polyester, and a 2013 study of cotton knits found drying time was strongly linked to fabric thickness, tightness and weight. A 305 g/m2 tee is thick and heavy by design, which is why it belongs in the bag, not on court.
Does a cotton blend fix the smell problem? Not necessarily. The Ghent study only compared smell between cotton and polyester, but micrococci also turned up on blended shirts, including one that was 95% cotton and 5% elastane. The study can't tell you how much synthetic fibre is too much, so don't assume a blend solves it.
