The LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) have decided to dig up clay tennis courts at the home of British tennis to replace with them facilities to play the new up and coming sport Padel
A photo posted on Twitter of the home of the LTA in Roehampton, South London, shows two of the clay tennis courts at the National Tennis Centre (NTC) are currently being replaced with Padel courts. Padel is a new sport to the UK but is growing in popularity throughout Europe. The sport is a hybrid of tennis and squash, played on a small court with walls using bats and a ball similar to tennis. The sport is rumoured to be the second most popular sport in Spain just behind football and ahead of traditional tennis.
The LTA have recently taken on responsibility for the growth of Padel in the UK as tennis is the nearest sport to Padel, so it would seem an obvious choice for them to administer the growing sport.
However, by the reaction on Twitter from a number of tennis fans and well know names, it would seem that a many tennis fans and players in the UK are concerned by the trend and believe that the LTA should be focussing on tennis.
Legendary Australian doubles specialist Todd Woodbriodge commented that it didn’t male sense to him to dig up clay tennis courts as the Australian tennis body had installed clay courts in Australia and now Ashleigh Barty has gone on to win the French Open.
Some of the other Twitter comments in reaction to the photo can be read below:
Doesn’t make sense TA built courts in Melbourne and Brisbane and we have ourselves a @rolandgarros champion in @ashbar96 ?
The LTA have an awful business model in place for a multi million organisation. It really needs radical changes from top to bottom. We are blessed to generate over £40m every year from Wimbledon. Yet we are losing tennis courts all over UK, inadequate indoor courts, no arena…..
