British stars ‘counting down the days’ until London Premier Padel P1 event
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Great Britain's padel stars are "counting down the days" until London Premier Padel P1 as the world's elite professionals hit British shores for the first time.
Premier Padel is the world's top padel circuit featuring the planet's best men's and women's players. From 4-9 August, it will make its debut in Britain at London's Olympia.
The 12 Brits who have been given wildcards have spent the last few months in an intense flurry of training and competition in a bid to hit a mental and physical peak for what will be the biggest moment of their careers.
British women's No.1 and No.2, Aimee Gibson and Catherine Rose, will continue their blossoming partnership at Olympia in the main draw. Gibson has reached two finals since her recent return from a five-month injury absence, the second of which was alongside Rose at the FIP Silver in Dublin. The result propelled both back into the world's top 100.
British men's No.1 Christian Medina Murphy will also feature in the main draw alongside long-time Spanish partner Alberto Garcia Jimenez. Also in the men's main draw will be the all-British pairings of Louie Harris and Alex Loughlan, as well as Alfonso Patacho and Chris Salisbury.
British No.4 Cameron Dollimore and No.5 Theo Garton will fly the Union flag in the men's qualifiers, alongside Britain's highest ranked junior player Ben Phillips and partner Jamie Lobo Wordsworth. In the women's qualies, GB No.3 Tia Norton teams up with Belgian Helena Wyckaert.
"I think it's going to be a huge motivator for them all," said Libby Fletcher, GB coach and LTA National Performance Pathway Manager. "They are all so excited about the opportunity to play at this level. Seeing the levels will inspire them to push on even harder.
"This year will be very much about building experience. The first time you do something, every part of that experience is naturally a first. But the P1 is secured in London for the next five years, so next year and beyond these players will thrive, having learned a lot from their first taste of a top-level environment."
Fletcher is pragmatic about what the Brit pack can achieve in what, for most, will be a first chance to dine at padel's top table.
"It will be very difficult for all of the players as it's a huge step up in level for most of them," she said. "We can only make them as prepared as possible and focus on what they can control."
It can only inspire people to play more and train more and perhaps seek out better matchplay experiences, more coaching and more competitive communities.
Rose, the world No.94, said it would be "just dreamy" if her and close friend Gibson could win their opening match in the round of 32. The pair have won three FIP circuit titles together and reached a further two finals, and are excited to be side-by-side again at Olympia.
"We're just going to get out there, enjoy ourselves and showcase our best padel, make ourselves proud and come off with no regrets," commented Rose.
"It helps to have had some really good results in the last few tournaments so we know we can compete with pairs who are playing on the Premier Padel tour week in week out. That's really important for us mentally going in, so we know our level is there. It gives us that extra bit of belief."
Harris will head to Olympia with a solid body of work in his locker alongside partner Loughlan. They were outstanding at the FIP Euro Padel Cup Final 8 in Cadiz last October and won their first FIP Tour title together in Kaunas in March.
"We clicked from day one in terms of communication on the court," said Harris. "We don't get to train together a lot (Loughlan is based in Denmark), but we make up for that with chemistry and positive attitude.
"We're super excited for London. We're counting down the days. We've seen how many tickets have been sold. We've never seen anything like it here in the UK and I think we'll be surprised how many people tune in to watch this level of padel."
The London Premier Padel P1 is expected to have a galvanising effect on the padel-playing public, further boosting curiosity and interest in the elite level of the game.
"I think it will have a massively positive impact on clubs," states Fletcher. "It can only inspire people to play more and train more and perhaps seek out better matchplay experiences, more coaching and more competitive communities.
"It will be nice for club players to see that pro players do the same things they do on court, just to a much higher level. That will be inspirational."
Rose, who will be playing in her home town in the P1, concurs. "There's so much positive noise around the P1," she said. "It's the first time that many people in the UK will get to see top-level padel being played. I think a lot of people still don't really know pro padel exists and what it looks like. After the P1, all the attention padel is getting will continue and it will grow even more popular."
Buy tickets to the London Premier Padel P1
Don't miss out on the chance to see the world's best international and British padel stars in action at the London Premier Padel P1 at Olympia between 4-9 August.
