PDHSports Padel Ambassadors!

Ben loves the fun and social side of Padel, but he's a serious player: starting out ranked in the four hundreds, he finished last year at number 23 in the UK. Backed by sponsorship from pdhsports.com and HEAD, Ben also has serious ambitions to attain an international ranking as well as inspiring young players to make the sport of Padel big in the UK.

1. What do you love most about Padel? I love how social the sport is: because you have to play doubles, you're always meeting new people. A lot of Padel clubs have great socials like Padel and pizza (or Padel and prosecco!) nights. It's a growing sport and people are constantly looking for partners and to get to know people they can play with. And Padel is immediately fun, whether or not you have a racket sports background.  

2. What are your Padel aims for 2025? My focus is getting into the top 15 in the UK this year. I also intend to play more international tournaments and hope to gain a world ranking - even if it's in the high numbers. I'd like to attend one of the GB men's training camps at the National Tennis Centre. And above all, I want to promote Padel widely and raise awareness of my sponsors, because they're investing in the sport that I love.

3. If you could play Padel with anyone, who would it be? Arturo Coello. It just has to be done, with our surnames being so similar!

Coello/Coeulle - what a memorable team we would be... though possibly a nightmare for match commentators!

4. Who do you hope to inspire as a Padel ambassador? I'm passionate about helping the younger generation, because this growing sport needs keen young players. With the right input of youth talent now, in five to ten years Britain could be competing globally with countries who have been playing padel for decades.

5. What do you think makes pdhsports.com stand out as a retailer? They have the best range and expertise. I'm privileged that they supply my HEAD Coello Pro rackets, but before that I used them for years for my Padel kit. Go down to their shop or go online and take a look and you'll see what I mean.

Padel guru Reggie bounced off the tennis court and onto the Padel court in 2022, qualifying as a L2 coach to share his knowledge and love of the sport with a truly diverse range of learners and improvers. Reggie loves to work with good people - enthusiastic clients and community groups, Padel newbies and experts, coaches and organisations who are spreading the word about Padel. His affinity with the pdhsports.com team is rooted in the same principle - "they're great people who know the game and offer fantastic service." 

1. How did you get into Padel coaching? I started playing Padel after the pandemic. Some of the people I was playing with asked me for advice, based on my knowledge as a tennis player and L1 coach. People would come back and thank me and say I'd changed their game! I decided to do my L2 Padel coaching qualifications and eventually quit my day job to coach full time. It's been a great decision!

2. What do you love most about Padel? It's so sociable - I have quickly built a great network of player friends. Most Padel centres are pay and play: there's an app called Playtomic where you can find a court and some people to play with. This digital access really works for a lot of people these days. It's easy to search and find people to practice and improve with.

3. Why do you think Padel is becoming so popular in the UK? I think because at grassroots level it's reasonably easy and fast to get started in Padel. In tennis it takes a lot longer to hit the ball accurately. Also, in Padel you don't need to cover as much of the court and you have to interact with your doubles partner, which is a different kind of challenge. It's just a lot of fun.

4. Have you ever played Padel with a celebrity? Yes! The comedian Jason Manford! He has been going to local clubs while he's touring, trying to get kids into Padel, to make sure it's an inclusive sport for everyone. I was asked to come and help with Jason's event at the Powerleague court in Birmingham. He brought 15 kids in - I coached the kids and played against him. It was a great experience!

5. Tell us about your current racket and why it works for you I play with the HEAD Gravity Pro. It's a round shaped racket designed for control more than power. It has a large, sweet spot and a rough finish that gives spin to the ball. I find it very well-balanced and really enjoy playing with it. Pdhsports.com lends me rackets to try - I've also enjoyed using the latest HEAD Coello Pro, though it's more suited to a high-power game.