Squash and tennis might well be the widely played racquet sports but here’s your chance to try out padel tennis in Dubai, which is growing in popularity in the UAE.
Having only being founded in the 1970s in South America, the only way has been up ever since and that’s no surprise considering it combines tennis, squash and badminton for a perfect sociable workout.
The game is widely played in the US and Europe, particularly in Spain, and although it’s not as familiar as football, cricket or tennis, padel is picking up the pace in the UAE.
Padel Pro UAE are playing their part in popularising the game, having opened at Sportsmania in JLT in March this year.
“We only opened in March and the response has been really good,” said Carolina Gallo Frias, club director and head coach.
“We had a lot of players playing the game and although it’s the summer now and the facilities are still open, we expect many of them to return once they’ve come back from their holidays.”
It’s played in a doubles format with the court one third the size of a tennis court, which has walls at either end.
One big advantage of joining Padel Pro is that they organise matches on your behalf as well as offering coaching. A single 90-minute match costs Dh100 per player, while it’s Dh75 for one hour.
The sport is played at Sportsmania, located in Dubai’s JLT area.
Packages are also available. Per player and for 90 minutes, five games costs Dh450, 10 games is Dh800, 15 games at Dh1,125 and 20 games priced at Dh1,400.
Private lessons start from Dh250 per session while semi-private classes range from Dh400 to Dh1,200. There’s even more reason for Emirates airlines platinum cardholders to play, as they can take advantage of a 30 per cent discount.
Whether you’ve played the game before or just want to try it out for the first time, Frias believes there are plenty of positives by playing.
“First of all, it’s a very easy sport to play and it’s very social,” she said. “If you’re someone who has just moved to Dubai and don’t have many hobbies, then this is a good way to meet new people.
“We also arrange games so you don’t need to know someone to play a game. As long as you know how to hit the ball and move, then that’s fine. We want them to have fun and it’s very easy to play.”
WHAT: Padel Tennis
WHERE: Sportsmania, Dubai
WHEN: On-going
CONTACT: For information visit Padel Pro on Facebook or visit www.padelpro.ae
