LOUIE HARRIS has described his victory in the HOP Pro event at Hampton Court as the perfect preparation for the World Championship Qualifiers which start at We Are Padel in Derby tomorrow.
Interestingly the Welsh padel wizard was partnered in Surrey by the doyen of Team GB Richard Brooks in a combination of youth and experience that is sure to have given GB head coach John Leach food for thought.
Team GB men are seeded third and are top ranked in Group B – ahead of Austria and Hungary – but while the Brits will be favourites to make it through to a last four shoot-out, it is there that the menace of tournament favourites Portugal is likely to lie in wait.
Following his pairing’s 6-2, 6-4 victory over fellow GB internationals Nikhil Mohindra and Ryan Wyatt, Harris is hoping that he will be given the nod to reprise his partnership with veteran Brooks who he has backed to chart the Brit Boys through any turbulence in the East Midlands this weekend.
Harris said: “It was just great to play in the UK at the HOP Pro Hampton Court. Obviously I am based in Spain and it was just fantastic to win on UK soil.
“One of the main reasons I played Hampton Court was that it was the perfect preparation for the World Championship qualifiers.
“So, I feel great and with the win at the weekend under my belt I really feel in the best form possible both physically and mentally.
“Obviously we have Hungary and Austria in our group and no one is looking beyond these group matches. These countries will both be highly motivated and stoked for their opening matches and they will believe they can upset us.
“Clearly it is vital that we are on our A-game from the get-go but we have to back ourselves to negotiate the groups and then we would face the winner of the group that comprises Sweden and Portugal.
“So it would be one of these two in the semis but if we lose in the semis it is a play-off Sunday afternoon so there is that safety net there.
“But from our point of view we don’t want to be playing that one. We are going into every match looking for the win and determined to qualify on our own merits.
“With the qualifiers at Derby we are hoping for a decent support to get behind us and I am just excited to see how we can go.”
But having enjoyed success with Brooks, who in a Padel Paper exclusive last week announced his return to the professional circuit for a third time at 41 years-old, Harris has no doubt that the veteran has a pivotal role to play at We Are Padel no matter who he partners.
Harris said: “We are fortunate we have a squad which allows us all to play and be comfortable with each other and everyone is very flexible in this respect.
“Obviously I get on well with Richard and our games fit but I have won other titles with some of the other guys in the team like Sam Jones and that flexibility for our head coach John Leach to use in his selection is a real plus I’d hope.
“Personally when it comes to playing with Richard then it is just a great mix of experience and youth and he has so much knowledge and nous.
“He has been there before in the big moments multiple times and he has so much craft and guile and he passes that all on to not just me but the other guys in the team.
“When the big moments are there Richard comes good 100% and that gives us all confidence.”
But of one thing Harris is sure and that is that Team GB are primed and ready to fire: “We have had a couple of days in training at We Are Padel. We have a good core of players who are young and under 25 and we have a great buzz about the camp.
“There is tremendous unity and we have the experience of having already made a World Championship Finals as a group last year.
“Now we need to make all of that count.”
Meanwhile Team GB ladies international Abi Tordoff believes her second seeded side are ready to see off Group B rivals Austria and Lithuania and book a place in Dubai.
Tordoff, who has had a meteoric rise from novice to full international inside a year and is a former Wimbledon tennis player, said: “Clearly we have Austria and Lithuania in our group and these will be tough matches for sure as no one goes into World Championship qualifiers in anything less than peak condition.
“So, l think we need to take it one match at a time and focus on the job in front of us; control what we can.
“Of course we are going out there to win and the girls are in good shape, confidence is high and our belief is there so let’s see where that takes us.”
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