It’s the fastest growing sport in the world and is proving to be such a hit that clubs are opening up all over the place. Suzanne Baum takes a dip into padel at the UK’s most premium new club opening, Padium in London, to find out the ball is most definitely in her court!
WORDS: SUZANNE BAUM. IMAGES: PADIUM AND SUZANNE BAUM.
Batting against the UK’s top seeded padel tennis player is how I find myself on a boiling hot day, in the heart of Canary Wharf. A place best associated with skyscraper buildings and a major business district, people move quickly here – it is a fast-paced atmosphere. Whilst I may not be a city banker or trader, my brain is fully engaged, I’m running at full power and my eye is also on the ball.
Even prior to its opening, scores of local workers, companies and the Tower Hamlets community were signing up to new padel club Padium – founded by Houman Ashrafzadeh. And I’m not surprised because padel is having such a moment – it seems as though people can’t get enough of this fun, energetic and super-social sport.
A mixture of squash and tennis, according to Padel United UK (padeluniteduk.com), more than 12 million people worldwide play the sport, and its popularity is snowballing. Which brings me back to the reason why I have come face to face with 31-year-old Jorge Martinez, Padium’s head coach, who happens to have held the title of the UK’s number one player since 2019. He is here not only to show me around this exciting 30,000 square foot venue – home to seven indoor panoramic glass courts and one outdoor court – but to teach me all about the very beautiful game.
I remind him I am a first-timer, and at the age of 50 may not be as swift on my feet, but he reassures me it is a game for all ages, adding he is friends with a 90-year-old coach who still plays regularly. And that is one thing I discover from my private session: whatever your age and sporting ability, padel is a game for all!
‘There are so many reasons why it is such a growing sport,’ says Jorge. ‘It is so much fun, you get a good workout, you learn about coordination, it’s not intimidating, and it offers amazing stress relief.’ And, it seems, the social factor is perhaps the biggest pull.
‘As padel requires four people to play, you meet so many people; the interaction is brilliant and you literally bounce off each other – pun intended!’
FINDING MY FEET
Having done a bit of research on the game ahead of my visit, I discover that Spain has been instrumental in making
