By RJ Mitchell
LOUIE HARRIS believes that ‘Going Dutch’ may well prove crucial to helping him realise his dream of one day starring at Roland-Garros in the Paris Premier Padel Major.
The Welsh Wizard was an enthralled viewer on Sunday as he saw Spain’s World No.1 pairing of Alejandro Galan and Juan Lebron fend off a ferocious fight-back from Argentine rivals Federico Chingotto and Juan Tello to emerge victorious in the Greenweez Paris Premier Padel final at Stade Roland-Garros after three rollercoaster sets.
But Harris, who has just completed a successful four-tournament schedule in Holland and Belgium that saw him claim victory at the P500 tournament in Zeist with Dutch partner Sten Richters, is hoping he can continue his relentless rankings climb so that next year he is in a position to wage war with the likes of Galan and Lebron in the Bois de Boulogne.
While with padel now officially being played by in excess of a global 25 million players Harris has no doubt that Sunday’s enthralling three-set tussle on Chatrier at the home of the French Open will have attracted even more new padelers to the game.
Harris said: “I watched the Paris Major from Holland and I have to say the level of the final was really high and it was just a fantastic match and the crowd really got engaged by it and that is what padel is all about at the highest level.
“Also you have to say that with it being held at such a historic and iconic venue as Roland-Garros it really delivered extra value.
“I think padel has now reached 25 million players worldwide and that tells you how fast the sport is growing but for a guy like me I was watching that and saying to myself: ‘That is where I want to be this time next year.’
“So, that is absolutely the case and that is why the goal this year is to play as many tournaments as I can to gain the points to climb the rankings that will give me the opportunity next year to enter these tournaments.
“That is a prospect that really excites me and really when you see the way (Alejandro) Galan and (Juan) Lebron were forced to fight off the Argentines (Federico) Chingotto and (Juan) Tello it just made for an epic final.
“The seventh game of the deciding set was where it all came down to it and it was just very dramatic and tense and for me that must have really sold padel to a lot of people and I’d certainly one day like to be competing against the likes of Galan and Lebron.
“That would be a dream.”
Looking back on his Dutch swing the 20-year-old said: “Obviously we won the P500 at Zeist which is basically the highest-ranking tournament they have in Holland and to do that we had to win four matches and we didn’t drop a set which was really pleasing and we also beat some of the Dutch National team.
“In total I played four tournaments which were FIP Gold in Alkmaar, a FIP Star in Hoorn, and a FIP Rise in Belgium in Koksijde near the coast as well as winning in Zeist.
“It was a little bit frustrating as we lost out in the last-16, which is the second round of the main draw, in the other three but we had some great matches in them and you learn every time you set foot on the court.
“Before coming to the Netherlands I had three or four points but now I am leaving with close on 20 and it may not sound much but it means a big jump in the rankings. Previously I was well into the 400s and now I am up at 385 and that is great progress.”
With Harris’ Dutch international partner Sten Richters smoothing the way the Welshman benefitted from weekly training sessions with the Dutch National Squad and admitted the opportunity helped expose him to new methods and styles that will only help aide his progress.
Harris said: “They were kind enough to let me train with them every Tuesday while I was over there and I joined the squad sessions in Houten and then in Amsterdam where I did my final session with them earlier this morning.
“This was a great opportunity to learn a few different training methods and also to see how the Dutch teams sets up and how they manage their sessions and really informative from that point of view.
“You can just learn so much by training and working with different people from different countries and with my partner Sten being Dutch that has really helped make this opportunity happen and I feel like it provided extra value to the whole trip.
“They also play slightly differently in terms of their style as the Dutch team have a lot of ex-tennis players and that makes for a different approach which is tennis influenced so it really was a good trip.”
But next up competitively speaking it’s a return to home comforts for Harris: “I returned to Marbella earlier today which is where my base is for the next fortnight and I will be training and building towards the FIP Rise tournament in London in early August at the NTC.
“In that one I will be playing with Sam Jones and with it being on home soil it is a big one for us both. Every Brit, who is in that one, will be very highly motivated and with the way Padel is growing in the UK it is a real chance to make an impact.”
