My dad claims (with his usual categorical certainty) that padel was invented in Argentina. In fact, he was witness to its very birth. “I remember it well,” he reminisces. “Back in the 1970s all the Buenos Aires clubs started to replace their tennis courts with padel because they could fit four padel courts into one tennis court and get 4 times the court hire."
But no! My Mexican friend protests, it was Mexican businessman Enrique Corcuera who set up the first-ever padel court at his holiday home in Acapulco in 1969. Nonsense! Padel is a Spanish sport, any Spaniard will declare. Indeed, it’s difficult to argue with the fact that, with 20,000 padel courts and an estimated six million players, it’s the country’s second-most-popular sport on the Iberian Peninsula.
Whatever the sport, when everyone begins claiming they invented it, you know it’s catching on. And so, when I got an email from Down Hall, a luxury hotel and spa in the Essex countryside, claiming to be first UK hotel to install a padel court, I realised padel had finally hit the home counties.
Vaguely looking like tennis-meets-outdoor-squash, Padel is typically played in doubles on a court roughly 25% the size of a tennis court, enclosed by transparent Perspex walls. Scoring is the same as normal tennis and the balls used are similar but with a little less pressure. The balls can be played off the walls in a similar way to squash using solid, stringless bats.
My 11-year old son, an avid tennis player who has loved playing padel in both Spain and Argentina, was super excited at the prospect of padel on a posh English country estate. Indeed, as we rolled up the long drive of the 110-acre property, the amber leaves shimmering in the autumn light as dusk fell, we felt we were entering into the bygone era of Downton Abbey.
However, far from the usual leathery tanned men in fluorescent gear pounding the ball next to it's twin sport's clay courts in the Mediterranean heat, my son and his mate skipped through the enigmatic evening fog to find their fun on a court amidst a hedge row maze. Meanwhile, I slinked off to the spa to have a facial, with full head massage included. Something not usually offered in your average tennis club. Bliss.
After padel and pampering we convened in Down Hall’s 19th century lounge and cocktail bar – a classic Martini for me, before dinner of Dover Sole, allowing me to imagine I was in some scene from an Evelyn Waugh novel. Actually, the manor of Down Hall has been in existence since the reign of Edward the Confessor (1042-1066) apparently belonging to Ulwin, Thegn of Edmund Ætheling. Not much of this ancient history is tangible in the layers of various refurbishments that have led to today’s mishmash of styles; classic Edwardian mixed with touches of Essex lore (draft beer at the bar, turquoise panelling and fake tans), and now, gosh, a touch of the Mediterranean thanks to Maria, one of the extremely friendly staff and Ken Flockhart, the current manager responsible for introducing the padel courts.
With great enthusiasm, Ken tells me that it was during his time working in Spain at La Cala Resort near Marbella that “I realised that Padel was such a popular and fast-growing sport because there were padel courts all over the Costa del Sol and none of my staff were interested in playing golf after work because they were all playing padel.”
“When I came to Down Hall at the beginning of last year,” he continues. “I soon realised that we didn't have enough demand for two tennis courts so we sacrificed one to install a padel court and a junior tennis court. At that time, I didn't know that the owner of the hotel plays padel in Regents Park, so when I put forward the proposal I very soon had his full support.”
Main lounge
After a great night's sleep, the kids were up ready to exploit more of the padel court, which was imported from Alicante and cost almost £30,000. But, actually, making full use of all the facilities - a full tennis court, badminton, a football area, croquet and also gyms (both indoor and outdoor) – had them occupied for hours. Being able to lose the children to their sporting pursuits, leaving their shrieks and screams in the distance, I embarked on the suggested trails around the estate where friendly deer and other English fauna went about their business and I could genuinely start to shaking off the stress of the city.
As I strolled amongst the woodland, my feet rustling the leaves, I wonder whether Ken’s passion for padel will catch on with the home county public, to whom the courts are also available for booking. There are currently 6,000 active padel players across the UK, 82 padel courts at 45 clubs, and it is something the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) are actively pushing, with plans to build 400 padel courts by 2023.
In its quest to commercialise padel, I find it slightly amusing though not altogether surprising that the LTA is already suggesting the Brits invented the sport. Apparently, the LTA claims on its website, 100 years before the old Mexican built his court, “during the 19th century, passengers on British cruise ships played a similar game with tennis rackets.” Ha ha, yeah right, just because your Ballroom stole our Latin dances, now you want to claim credit for our sport too!?
But, seriously, just as salsa classes can be found now in most local pubs and bars, we could well see padel spring up in local parks soon. Meanwhile for Latinos and Spaniards in London who fancy a day out in the English countryside, whilst practicing their favourite Latino sport, or indeed a padel-playing overnight stay, a weekend treat in this lovely English spa no es mal idea. No?
Room bookings https://www.downhall.co.uk Hotel guests have priority access to the courts free of charge at 10am, 2pm and 3pm every day through the winter months and at the later times of 10am, 4pm and 5pm in the summer. Bats and balls available for hotel guests free of charge. Lessons are available at an additional cost through our Resident Coach.
Court booking through https://www.matchi.se/facilities/downhallhotel at £16 off peak and £20 peak.
