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18
Dec 2021
The new sport taking the Harrogate district by storm
A relatively new sport that is a cross between tennis and squash is taking the Harrogate district by storm.
Padel is played between four players on reduced sized tennis courts. Competitors use paddle racquets and can bounce the ball off walls.
Nicky Horn, a Harrogate coach who has played the sport for 10 years, said she has seen a remarkable amount of interest in the sport in recent months.
She pointed to courts being built at Hornbeam Park in Harrogate, which is expected to see six new dedicated courts, and planned new courts at Ripon Tennis Club as an example of its booming demand.
Since the first covid lockdown, Harrogate Sports and Fitness Centre has also seen high demand for its padel courts on Hookstone Wood Road.
A game of padel tennis in Harrogate.
Nicky said she expects to see padel's popularity increase further over the next five years now that the Lawn Tennis Association oversees the sport.
She said:
'Largest female padel tennis match'
Nicky played padel in Spain before returning to Harrogate to take up two teams. She currently coaches Harrogate and Rawdon on a Monday and Saturday.
Read more:
- Boom in padel tennis brings new centre to Harrogate
- Ripon Tennis Centre seeks local support to build padel courts
Last weekend, the two teams got together to play a game which Nicky believes was the largest female padel match in the UK.
Despite the cold conditions, 32 players, who ranged from eight-years-old to 80, turned up to take part as Harrogate Sports and Fitness Centre.
Nicky said:
6,000 players in the UK
The local boom has been reflected across the country.
With more than 6.000 padel players in the UK, according to the LTA, the sport is one of the fastest growing in the country.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and Ballon D’or winning footballer, Lionel Messi, are also reported to be players of the sport.
Here are 10 facts you might not know about padel, from the LTA:
- There are more than 6,000 padel players in the UK
- Padel was invented in Mexico in the 1960s
- It is played in doubles
- Padel rules are similar to tennis – but you serve underarm
- It’s the second-most-popular sport in Spain
- Jamie Murray has played in a professional padel tournament
- Padel balls are smaller than tennis balls
- Lionel Messi has a padel court in his garden
- Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp discuss ideas with his coaches while playing padel
- It may not be an Olympic sport yet but campaigns are underway to make it one
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