Catherine Rose “enjoyed every single second” on court in Dubai as she lifted the fifth FIP Padel Tour title of her career to ascend to British no.1 for the first time.
Playing alongside Spaniard Lucia Perez Parra, Rose raced through the draw without dropping a set, before dispatching unseeded Spanish/Argentinian pairing Angela Caro Cantin and Gimena Sol Perez Rose 7-5, 6-1 in the final.
For 27-year-old Rose, the victory was the culmination of a hard week’s training with Dubai-based coach Ximo Peira and a courageous response to the disappointment of defeat in the previous weekend’s final of the FIP Bronze in Abu Dhabi.
The points accrued from the victory lifted Rose to world no.100, above compatriot Aimee Gibson who has fallen to no.105 since the calf tear she sustained in Bahrain in February. The left-hander plans to return to competition this month.
Speaking to The Padel Paper as she stepped off the plane and headed straight to the National Tennis Centre for a week’s training with the GB squad, Rose reflected on the importance of “playing free” and not focusing on the outcome.
“The thing I’m most proud of is how I bounced back from last week in Abu Dhabi,” said the Londoner. “We had more expectation on that tournament than this one, so it was quite a tough loss to take in the final. We finished it so disappointed. It left a bit of a negative feeling.
“After feeling pretty down, I’m so pleased with how I approached my training with Ximo. I feel I’ve played some of the best padel I’ve ever played this week. It’s always really motivating when you get a tournament win and shows that you’re doing the right things.”
Ximo was a coach Catherine first encountered in Alicante at the start of her padel career. He has since relocated to Dubai to work with the national team and Catherine seized the chance for some sessions with him after arriving from Abu Dhabi last week.
“We worked hard together and it got me into a much better head space,” Catherine reflected. “He helped me set some little personal goals for myself.
“They weren’t really about the result, because we didn’t have expectations for the result this week, it was more about really enjoying myself on court and to play free like I do in training. And we sort of nailed it! I enjoyed every single second on court and the result came with it.
“Ximo has been great for me. He invests a lot of his own time and effort, he really cares and he’s had a good effect on me.”
Dubai was Rose and Parra’s second FIP Tour title together following victory in Singapore in March.
After a week’s training with GB, Rose’s next assignment will be the FIP R3 Silver Bullpadel Cup in Belfast.
