Louie Harris and Aimee Gibson ended 2023 top of the LTA padel rankings after life-changing years on the professional tour.
Welshman Louie quit his job as a personal trainer and padel coach in January 2023 to commit to padel full time and has enjoyed a stellar first 12 months amongst the professional ranks.
The year has seen the 21-year-old sign sponsorship deals with Nox and Padel IQ, benefit from LTA funding and Spanish training facilities and win five out of the six LTA ranking tournaments he entered.
Louie’s six titles – at Harrogate (twice), Derby, Stratford (twice) and Jersey – were achieved with five different partners and will send him into a huge 2024 with the launch of the new-look Premier Padel Tour.
Louie finished 2023 ahead of Sam MacNeil, Chris Salisbury and Rafael Vega Otaolaurruchi in the LTA rankings.
Aimee turned pro in June (becoming only the second British woman to do so) having won six tournaments in a row on the British tour, including five Grade One titles.
Encouraged by that string of wins and her coach Dan Troy, Aimee threw herself into the FIP RISE tour in the second half of the year and, backed by the LTA, she also enjoyed a spell of high-level training in Barcelona.
Aimee ends 2023 just ahead of British No.1 Tia Norton in the LTA women’s rankings, with two more ambitious youngsters Catherine Rose and Victoria Nicholas in third and fourth respectively.
Essex-based left-hander Aimee, a former tennis player and coach, can now look forward to a hugely exciting 2024 which includes a European Championships in March and a possible World Championships in October or November.
