Comedian Jason Manford has thrown his support behind padel, calling for the sport to be included in the Olympic Games by 2032. The 43-year-old, a self-confessed padel addict, told Metro he dreams of seeing the racket sport make its Olympic debut in Brisbane.
Manford, who switched from tennis after a shoulder injury, believes padel is more accessible than tennis, particularly for older players. 'For a lot of my mates, who are in their 50s and want to be active but can't afford to break their ankles, it's perfect,' he said. He added that the sport serves as a gateway to other racket sports for children.
The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), which became the national governing body for padel in Britain in 2020, has invested £6 million into 40 facility projects, funding 75 new courts. Since 2019, the number of courts has grown from 50 to 350, and annual participation has surged from 6,000 to 129,000.
Despite this growth, Great Britain failed to enter a team at the last world youth championships. Manford expressed concern that padel could become elitist, echoing criticisms that tennis has faced. He has teamed up with the LTA to promote the sport's grassroots development.
Novak Djokovic recently warned that club tennis is 'endangered' by the rise of padel and pickleball. However, padel advocates argue the sports can coexist, with Rocket Padel founder Sebastian Gordon noting that padel competes more with 'restaurants, cinemas, Netflix, yoga and CrossFit' than with tennis.
