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Padium presents magnificent third edition of Pro Am Padel Tour

The third edition of the Pro Am Padel Tour at Padium, Canary Wharf, saw padel pros team up with celebrities, including England ODI captain Jos Buttler, and Chelsea cult-hero John Terry.

John Terry poses with partner Max Lutonstanski

An arguably trendier relative to tennis, padel is one of the UK’s fastest growing sports, with Spain, as well as several Scandinavian countries currently being the early flagbearers. Out of the roughly 250 courts in Britain, eight sit within the padel hub of East London.

Amidst the stern faces, the click-clack of heels, and the big shot bankers, lies Canary Wharf’s glistening new, albeit much less towering, white bubble. Padium houses a stark mood change to what is the assumed monotony of London’s elite business zone. Laughter and pumping music booms round the bubble as fuzzy yellow balls and buzzing conversation ricochets in every direction. 

Unrivalled enthusiasm is what truly featured throughout the day, as ex-Premier League footballers, former Olympians, and cricket champions went head-to-head. 

A London rivalry was reignited with Bobby Zamora, John Terry, and Mark Noble warming up together, sending over tricky shots and sneaky jibes as three old chums got reacquainted. The trio were partnered by Jorge Martinez, Max Lutonstanski, and Frankie Langan. 

Despite the ex-footballers’ supremacy with ball at feet, much like their former clubs, they could not quite push for the title on this occasion.

The Pros also consisted of the current GB No. 1’s on both the men and women’s side, with Tia Norton partnering England and Sussex cricketer Danni Wyatt, and Christian Murphy teaming up with Spotify co-founder, Martin Lorentzon. 

Murphy said: “The ProAm event is great as we can get more people involved in padel. We have media here and can promote the sport. It’s just so fun. You jump on court, and you start to enjoy it straight away.” 

Aimee Fuller, the ex-Olympic snowboarder, adorned in a fluffy cap and a leopard print puffer-jacket was by far, perhaps predictably, the coolest of the bunch. Exuding swagger and optimism, she and her partner, GB No. 2 Aimée Gibson took to the courts to play out their round-robin matches against a variety of other pros and celebrities.

Gibson, who was first introduced to padel while living in Dubai said, “when I got back, I had a few lessons, and I just got totally addicted to it and couldn’t stop playing.”

On the ProAm event, she added: “It’s such a fun day getting to meet lots of former athletes. I’m so excited for the sport to keep growing and hopefully we have more events like this.”

Aimée Gibson with Eloise Tait (left) and Catherine Rose (right)

While a frustrating ODI World Cup saw England struggle, optimism may well be renewed with the three cricket stars sweeping up most of the awards. The ‘most valuable player’ title was earned by Wyatt and Buttler. 

England and Kent cricketer Sam Billings, in trademark ‘big hitter’ style, partnered by GB No. 3, Louie Harris, staged a full-blooded comeback against Buttler and Nikhil Mohindra in the final. 

Sky Sports Golf presenter Sarah Stirk along with her partner Catherine Rose were the champions on the women’s side. Stirk, despite only having picked up the padel racket earlier in the year, boasted a glowing resume of skills, and graced the courts with real flair. 

As eventual victors, they both received a Babolat padel racket signed by world number one, Juan Lebron. Both MVPs were also treated to a free racket of their choice from the Padium on-site shop.

At one point throughout the afternoon after a particularly tense match was halted mid-point, the competitor in Billings leapt out and with a grin he said, “Well what do you expect when you invite all these athletes!”

It perfectly summed up the vibrantly competitive and overwhelmingly positive day, with the pros and celebrities investing in the playful rivalries that emerged.

After a successful day-out, Harris said, “The Pro-Am Padel Tour is great. You get to meet a lot of different athletes from different backgrounds, and you can see how competitive they are, their attitude, and learn about what they did in their career.”

GB hockey player and Olympic gold medallist Georgie Twigg, and Saracens and Wales rugby player, Flo Williams made up the remaining celebrities, playing alongside Georgie Hodge and Eloise Tait, respectively.

The team of padel pro’s pose ahead of the ProAm event

Former F1 driver Nicholas Latifi, partnered by Rafa Vega, was playing Padel for only his second time. He joked, “I really did think everyone today was going to be a bit more ‘Am’.” Olympic swimmer Jack Burnell also teamed up with Alfonso Patacho, stroking the ball with consistent grace.

The glittering occasion was a fantastic advert for padel, with the final word on everyone’s lips simply being ‘fun’.

Author

  • Sam France

    Sam France is an avid tennis watcher and player, frequently found passionately raving about the WTA tour. Interested in all things sport, culture, and politics. A Chelsea fan, who is currently, albeit with significant reservation, trusting an alleged process.

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