The padel revolution sweeping London and beyond shows no sign of slowing down, with Jason Manford partnering with the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) to introduce the game to more children.
The comedian announced this week he was promoting the sport with Pro Am Padel Tour and as well as the LTA to develop youth interest and engagement.
“We joined as official strategic partner to organise and host whole-day community-led sessions aimed at increasing padel’s accessibility, visibility and diversity,” said a spokesman.
Steve Yeardley, LTA Padel Manager, said: “The LTA is delighted to be partnering with the Pro Am Padel Tour to deliver community days, with the ambition of opening up padel across Britain.
“Working alongside the Pro Am Padel Tour and Jason Manford, we have an ambition to make padel more accessible and engaging and to inspire the next generation.”
Evening Standard features writer Katie Strick playing padel at National Tennis Centre, Roehampton
Daniel Hambury/Stella Pictures Ltd
The sport is growing and growing, with Andy Murray and Lionel Messi having invested in it.
Think of it as a gentler take on regular tennis, that’s suitable for all ages and abilities, and is highly sociable as it is typically played in doubles.
A smaller court, softer equipment and only underarm serves allow a more tamed approach — but make no mistake, you can still work up a sweat.
“I am two games into my debut match and I’m grinning like a Cheshire cat,” she said.
“Laughing even, because I’ve just bounced the ball off the glass wall at the back and apparently that counts as an actual point.”
Here’s everything you need to know.
Padel has the backing of celebrities but increasingly regular folk
Christopher Ford
Why is everyone talking about padel tennis?
Padel tennis, also known as padel or paddle, is played by more than ten million people worldwide. But Brits are a little late to the game, as it is still emerging as a sport in the UK.
Enrique Corcuera, inventor of the tennis variant in 1969, formed his take on the less popular Platform Tennis in his squash court in Acapulco, Mexico. Popularity then shifted to Spain where, over the next 25 years, championships were set up to establish the competitive sport.
Now the fastest-growing racket sport in the world, padel tennis is officially recognised as a discipline of tennis in Britain.
Much like its origin sport, padel is scored in sets of six games, with two games difference – or a tiebreaker if the game is split. Best of three sets wins the match.
It is played predominantly in doubles on an enclosed court that is roughly 25 per cent smaller than a regular tennis court. Akin to squash, the walls feature as part of the game, with the ball bouncing off them.
“Padels” are plastic and foam bats, with impressive force and adapted balls – and many amateur players simply use needles to ease the pressure of tennis balls. Easy on the arms, easy on the wallet.
Argentinian international Lionel Messi reportedly plays padel on his home court in Spain and has been spotted pairing up with former teammate Luis Suarez – the sport is played by an estimated six million alone in the country, according to the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA). David Beckham, Peter Crouch and Andy Murray are all rumoured fans too. Everyone needs a hobby.
It’s easy to get started with a set of racquets for you and your opponents (Decathalon UK, £29.99) and depressurised balls, slightly smaller than tennis balls (PDH Sports, £19.99).
Where can you play in London?
A full list of padel venues in the UK can be found on the LTA’s website here. In and around the capital, David Lloyd has courts at its Chigwell and Bushey clubs, while Will to Win runs floodlit padel courts at Hyde Park and Regent’s Park.
The LTA recognised Padel as a discipline of tennis in Britain in 2020 and is the official national governing body of the sport. Latest figures show that there are currently 89,000 players in the UK.
Tom Murray, Head of Padel at the LTA said: “It is fantastic to see so many people being introduced to Padel as awareness of this exciting sport continues to grow.
“Padel is easy to play, fun and great for exercise so we hope – as the sport becomes more visible across the country – we will encourage more people to give it a try.”
