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Robert Mitchell

Game4Padel & East of Scotland creating history for padel in Scotland

VINCENT HIVERT has described Game4Padel’s partnering with East of Scotland Tennis to promote the first ever Baillie Gifford East of Scotland Padel Open 2023 as a “hugely exciting” development.


This will be the first time a Scottish tennis association has partnered with us to facilitate a padel championships and mirrors our successful collaboration with Tennis Wales which produced the first ever Welsh National Padel Championships at Windsor Penarth LTC last August.


The LTA Grade Three tournament will be held at Game4Padel’s two canopied courts at Thistle Tennis & Padel Club on May 20/21 and comprise of men’s and women’s doubles events with entries closing on Monday (May 15).

Game4Padel Growth and Participation director Vincent has no doubt that the alignment of tennis and padel events can provide another vital strand in our policy of developing and expanding the padel community.


He said: “East of Scotland Tennis and Tennis Scotland are not the first tennis associations to do this but it will be the first time it has been done in Scotland and that is hugely exciting.


“To have both padel and tennis at the same event is amazing and it will be interesting to see how many players compete in both events and how that will then grow over the years as they unfold.

“Thistle is a great tennis club with six artificial clay courts and two covered padel courts which we run. It really is just a perfect racket sports venue.


“Going forward we will have further discussions with the East of Scotland Tennis president Viki Mendelssohn and Mark Gaffney (director East of Scotland Tennis) about how we can continue to get padel as a sport joining forces with tennis and as Game4Padel have the padel expertise we are delighted to play our part in all of that.


“Really it is just great to see East of Scotland Tennis fully endorsing padel and looking at ways to promote it as much as tennis.”


The East of Scotland Championships are one of our country’s most historic tournaments having been first established in 1887 when they were played at the St Andrews Lawn Tennis Club, in St Andrews.


The championships were initially played on grass courts until 1903 before moving to Liberton Lawn Tennis Club, in Edinburgh a year later.


In 1973 after Liberton’s closure the tournament was moved to Craiglockhart in 1974 where it was played until 1989.


Now East of Scotland president Viki Mendelssohn as admitted her delight at the addition of a first ever padel championships to the tournament and she said: “East of Scotland Tennis are very happy to play a small part in padel’s journey in Scotland and with Thistle being one of the biggest padel centres in Edinburgh our tie up with Game4Padel is a really appropriate one.


“We are very keen to promote padel in our area and it is just the perfect fit for us to partner with Game4Padel for this event.


“Also for our part, given that Edinburgh has most of the padel courts in Scotland, we are delighted to be supportive of padel’s development and growth.


“With Vincent having previously been on the board of East of Scotland Tennis before concentrating on padel we have maintained an excellent relationship with him and are pleased to be a close ally of Game4Padel.”


An aspiring padel player herself, Viki admits the only negative about padel is her lack of play time!


The East of Scotland Tennis president said: “I do enjoy playing padel although not quite at the same level as the ladies who will be playing at the event on the 20th but I really love it.


“In terms of inclusivity it is such an easy sport to pick up and learn quickly, so you don’t need to have been a squash player or tennis player to enjoy padel.

“It also has a much bigger fun factor at a community level and I’d just love to have more time to play padel!”


With entries for the first ever Baillie Gifford East of Scotland Padel Open closing on Monday (May 15) interested parties should click on the link below to take part:


Meanwhile should you wish to compete in the East of Scotland Tennis championships entry is possible by clicking on the following link:


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