The application for official status of padel was approved by Sport England, Sport Scotland and Sport Wales, with all three home country sports councils now recognising the sport as a discipline of tennis; popularity is growing on home soil, with a total of 82 courts currently in Britain
Thursday 10 December 2020 11:10, UK
Padel has now been officially recognised as a discipline of tennis in Britain, with the LTA being confirmed as its national governing body.
Padel, which originated in Mexico in 1969 that is played mainly in a doubles format on an enclosed court about a third of the size of a tennis court and can be played in groups of mixed ages and abilities, as it is not power dominant.
The rules are broadly the same as tennis, although you serve underhand and the walls are used as part of the game with the ball allowed to bounce off them.
Popularity is growing on home soil too, with a total of 82 padel courts currently in Great Britain and more to follow.
To coincide with gaining recognised status, the LTA has published a padel development plan, outlining its ambition to grow the sport. With an initial focus placed on increasing infrastructure the governing body estimates a total of 400 padel courts will be in place by 2023.
The LTA's drive to grow padel as part of tennis in Britain follows the likes of tennis federations in France, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands, who have already integrated padel into their competition structures and operational delivery.
Britain's seven-time Grand Slam doubles champion Jamie Murray is a big fan of the sport, saying: "I've played a lot of Padel over the last few years and I think it's a great sport. It's a very social sport that can be played with friends and family of all ages and abilities.
"I think it's a great addition for clubs as a way to engage current members and attract new members into their respective clubs."
Speaking about the official recognition of padel, LTA chief Scott Lloyd, said: "Recognition of padel as an official discipline of tennis and confirmation that the LTA will be the national governing body is an important step forward in the development of the sport.
"One of the LTA's key strategies is to find new ways to grow participation and padel is an innovative format of tennis that's fun, flexible and easy to play. By integrating padel, we have provided an immediate platform to facilitate the organic growth of the sport, with tennis venues throughout Great Britain already exploring the potential opportunities it can bring to a facility.
"There is an exciting future for padel and we will look to grow it as a complementary form of tennis that benefits our sport as a whole."
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