PADEL is enjoying a wave of positive media coverage in the UK with some outstanding editorial features in newspapers and magazines.
In Saturday’s bumper edition of The Times, a whole page was devoted to padel in the Body and Soul section of the Weekend supplement.
Reporter Peta Bee went on court at the David Llloyd Club in Bushey, Hertfordshire, with instructor Bjorn Schroder.
She revealed: “Even with my dismal hand-eye co-ordination, something that lets me down in tennis, I was encouraged by my first service in padel resulting in a rally of about 12 shots.
“Immediately it feels easier to get into the flow of a game, helped enormously by the big bat; its hard, composite-material construction means that strokes require less power but feel more dynamic, even for a novice like me.
“Fitness-wise, all the running provides a big cardiovascular boost and the leaping and lunging will strengthen legs, lungs and calves. Twenty minutes in and I’m working hard enough to break a sweat.
“You will burn between 200 and 300 calories in 30 minutes, comparable to tennis and similar to squash, and your arms and core muscles get a workout from reaching and volleying.”
In her article, Peta reported that the David Lloyd Leisure chain plans to roll out a padel development programme with the installation of 90 courts over the next decade.
DL are quoted as saying that the installation of three padel courts will be the standard fixture at all new clubs.
Two years ago, the David Lloyd chain shut down more than 100 squash courts to repurpose the spaces into Blaze fitness studios.
As with most articles of this type, Peta recorded the celebrity endorsements of Andy Murray, David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovich and Lionel Messi. “Ibrahimovic has opened a chain of five Padel Zenter clubs in Sweden, with one planned for Milan, while Messi loves playing so much he has reportedly installed a padel court in his back garden.”
Peta also added some stats about the game, reporting that the number of courts in Italy has increased fivefold in two years to almost 5,000, while there are some 89,000 players in the UK with a concerted push from the LTA helping to increase the number of courts from 40 in 2019 to about 165 at 66 locations today.
She quoted Tom Murray, the head of padel development at the LTA, saying that the target is 400 courts by 2023.
Over at GQ magazine, padel is described as “the biggest fitness trend of the summer”.
Writer Stuart Brumfitt said: “It’s fun, it’s social and it’s a great workout, so there’s no surprise that the likes of David Beckham and Mo Salah are big fans of padel.”
He added: “In case you didn’t know, padel tennis is having a major moment so it’s fitting that Stratford Padel Club is Spanish-run, since Spain has been instrumental in making this four-person, walled-in racket game the fastest growing sport in the world.
“Padel is also massive in South America, Scandinavia, the Middle East and the Continent and now it’s about to blow up in the UK, thanks to celebrity endorsements and growing court availability.”
Stuart produced a well-researched list of celebrities, saying: “Internationally, padel’s rise has been boosted by high-profile sports stars from Formula 1 to football: Carlos Sainz, Marcus Alonso, Maria Sharapova, Neymar, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Rafael Nadal, Hector Bellerin, Charles Leclerc, Cesc Fabregas, Mo Salah… the list goes on. British celebrities are getting in on the act too, including Andy Murray and David Beckham.”
An interview with a leading padel industry expert also discussed the impact Zlatan Ibrahimovic has had on the sport in Sweden.
“It’s the Zlatan effect – he drove a lot of new users to padel in Sweden and brought Paul Pogba over for an event,” explains Kristian Hunter, CEO of Padel Social Club, a group aiming to build the premier padel community across the UK, focusing on pay-and-play facilities with a large social element (as seen in Scandinavia).
“So it’s not just tennis players. Yes, Andy Murray is involved and Rafa [Nadal] loves it, but when people see rugby players, football players, golfers, cricket players and musicians playing, they think, ‘I can do that too’!”
Hunter added: “Having been a sports nut since I was a kid, I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s so exciting to be at the beginning of this wave. Having been stuck in Spain for the last 20-30 years, it’s finally crossing borders. We’re on the cusp of this going global and being more visible.”
Former Swedish team captain Dani Dios, now a padel business developer, said the international growth of the sport is mind-blowing.
“South America is having a second wave, the Middle East is going bonkers, Sweden, Italy, France, Belgium, Holland and now the UK.
“All eyes in the European padel brands right now are on the UK market, waiting for that explosion to happen. And then, the UK is going to be like, “What the f+++!?
“It’s going to be the next cool, trendy, fashion thing to do in the UK. It’s also going to go bananas.”
The Motor Yachting website also reported that British billionaire Joe Lewis, chairman of Tavistock Group, the fifth richest man in the country and majority shareholder at Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, has built a padel court … on his £200m superyacht Aviva!
Aviva is believed to be the first superyacht to house a padel court, and 82-year-old Joe likes to play with his guests or crew members.
The court is also used as a sports hall for football kickabouts and other exercises when the net is removed. It has a small viewing lounge for spectators.
Motor Yachting website here
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How can I start a Padel game at my tennis club? What do I need to get started? I play tennis at Hartlepool Tennis Club.
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