Andrew Dunn recently became the first Brit to hit the top 50 in the FIP junior world padel rankings — and the 14-year-old has plenty more milestones in his sights.
Andrew recently reached the final of the FIP Promises event in Bristol alongside Travis Barber as well as making the final and semis in two further junior tour events in Belgium with fellow Brit Ethan Holt. He has also been a regular in the latter stages of domestic LTA tournaments (both adult and junior) for well over a year.
He was a nationally-ranked tennis player before transitioning to the 20×10 just over two years ago. Since then, he has flourished in the thriving junior set-up at the five-court Smash Padel centre in Bicester, Oxfordshire, where his father Gordon is part of a stellar coaching team headed up by Miguel Caramalho.
When The Padel Paper catches up with Andrew and Gordon during school half term, they’re in Madrid training at Conpas Padel Academy with renowned head coach Manu Pascual as part of a reciprocal arrangement with Smash Padel. Nine other Bicester-based juniors are also out in the Spanish capital.
Gordon says: “Manu has worked with the very top pro players and Miguel and I are huge fans of his philosophy and understated style. His work always has tactical relevance and a clear message. He visited Smash Padel last year and presented to the whole team on and off court, helping to develop our academy players and coaches.
“Watching our guys train with the Spanish juniors, they’re having so much fun and yet it’s so intense. We talk to them a lot about attitude, behaviours and effort — all the important controllables. That’s what you see here too, but there are always smiles on faces.”
Andrew added: “It’s been absolutely brilliant working with Manu here in Madrid. I’ve picked up so much already and it’s amazing to play with some of the top Spanish juniors because they are the best in the world. Me and dad drove all the way down through France to get here which was amazing, but there’s a problem with the car, so at the moment we’re not sure how we’re getting back!”
Let’s hope they find a good Spanish mechanic soon, because Andrew has an important appointment next Thursday (5 June) as part of the Pro Am Padel Tour’s Next Gen exhibition team. He will be showcasing his skills at the Tour’s first event of 2025 at Rocket Padel Beckton alongside his Smash Padel Bicester stablemate and friend Harley Dixon, Guernsey siblings Chloe and Liam De La Mare and girls’ U14 no.1 Elizabeth Vellacott.
With an expanded two-day format, celebrity team captains in the form of Joe Marler and Jason Manford and a host of community events, Pro Am Padel Tour is going to be bigger and better in 2025. Andrew said: “The last Pro Am Padel Tour event at Battersea Power Station last year was hard to top, but it sounds like this one is definitely going to be topping it! I can’t wait.”
Although reaching the world’s top 50 is an undeniably significant metric in his progress, Andrew and his father are sensibly choosing not to get fixated on numbers and focus on enjoyment.
“We genuinely don’t discuss rankings,” Gordon explains. “It’s something I wouldn’t want him to become concerned with. It’s all about your development and continued interest in the game.”
Andrew agrees: “The ranking is just a product of all the hard work that I’m doing outside tournaments. Bring the performances from training on to the match court and you’ll always go far. For that, I’ve got to thanks Smash Padel in Bicester. It’s pretty incredible what’s happening there.
“I’ve seen my dad staying up late working on individual development plans for players in the academy. The team puts in so much work to create the best possible training environment, set the right conditions for the players to improve and reach their full potential.
“I’ve been given the opportunity to help out with coaching, which I’ve found really helps my own game. I see the court from a different perspective, like an observer would rather than as a player. It’s been really interesting.”
With sponsorships from Adidas and Specialist Sports and regular input from the LTA at its National Junior Performance camps, this level-headed, mature and articulate youngster has all the attributes and support around to him to achieve whatever he wants to on the padel court.
- Smash Padel are currently searching for a Centre Manager for their club in Oxford. The job is advertised on our Jobs in Padel site here.
