Dawn Foxhall has vowed that GB ladies’ seniors “are not going to Amsterdam to come second” ahead of this weekend’s inaugural Plaza Padel Nations Cup.
GB ladies’ seniors sides spanning the four age groups from over-40s to over-55s will compete against Sweden, Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, plus an ‘All Stars’ ensemble, at Plaza Padel Amsterdam.
Austria-based Foxhall, a former Norfolk county tennis player, has been fast-tracked through the seniors padel system after coming to the attention of UK No.1 Tia Norton at a World Padel Tour event in Vienna last summer.
With the GB team set to be announced later this week, Foxhall is particularly desperate to feature against her neighbours from Germany with whom she has already jousted. She is keen to underline the determination within the squad.
Foxhall said: “I think it’s a really cool concept to have an event with six teams coming together and a great advert for senior women’s padel. On a personal level, I’m looking forward to seeing where I stand within the top tier of women’s senior padel in Europe.
“That said, we aren’t going to Amsterdam to come second. From what I saw at our recent squad session in Derby, the girls are taking it really seriously and are very well drilled under Nigel Garton and Libby Fletcher. There is a very strong match mentality there.
“There are a few ex-tennis players involved and these girls know what it is like to compete at the highest level in sport. That can be a big advantage for us this weekend and I believe we have a good depth quality wise.
“Obviously it would be terrific to win it but the bigger goal is perhaps the next World Championships. Sometimes it’s not always the best thing to win straight away, but no-one will be at Amsterdam to finish second.”
Foxhall has already had a look at the German side at close quarters, having been part of the Austria team (by virtue of long-term residency) in friendly matches against Germany and Switzerland last summer.
“I know the German team quite well, follow some of their team in Europe and I’m particularly keen to play against them, if selected, and hopefully get the win!” she said.
“You’d have to put Sweden right up there, but I know the Germans, as they do with everything, are taking it very seriously. They have trained very hard. You can never underestimate the Germans, they just love to win.”
Since being fast-tracked into the GB seniors set-up, the 52-year-old has been immensely impressed by the framework and organisation built by manager Sally Fisher, and coaches Nigel Garton and Libby Fletcher, who is also the team captain.
Foxhall recalled: “I’ve been really impressed with the organisation and drive of the seniors community and with that level of organisation we can only go onwards and upwards.”
Foxhall’s involvement started last June in Vienna where she and partner Rebecca Fernandez Niederacher were awarded one of three wildcards for a World Padel Tour event. They won a round in qualifying.
She explains: “Because it was everywhere on socials Tia Norton contacted me via Facebook and that led me to speak with Alvaro Guerrero [GB Ladies National Coach] who organised for me to play in the FIP London Rise event in August.
“Although I lost first round I then met Libby Fletcher, Jo Ward and Helen Crook, who is an old tennis colleague of mine, and from there Sally invited me to come to Derby for a squad training weekend.
“So it really has been full-steam ahead since then and now Amsterdam is almost here. That is just a very exciting prospect.”
Although Foxahll played padel as a teenager, it was coronavirus that really kindled her love affair with our sport: “When I was 16 my first experience of padel was at Club La Santa in Lanzarote which at that time it was starting to be used as the winter training ground for British tennis players.
“There were a few postal tournaments you’d play in back home and I won both singles and doubles in one of them. That is how I got to La Santa and discovered padel as a teenager but since then I mainly just played it on holiday.
“The big change was coronavirus. In Austria they thankfully allowed outdoor sports to continue so we could play outdoor singles in tennis but although things like skiing were banned, padel was not!
“That seemed ridiculous as it is four of us in a small outdoor space but that is when I really began to take it up seriously and I was instantly hooked.”
