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TENNIS, PADEL OR PICKLEBALL? HOW TO FIND THE BEST RACQUET SPORT FOR YOU. BY CAMILLA FOSTER

- BY CAMILLA FOSTER

AS WIMBLEDON gets underway, local tennis courts across the UK are ready to welcome the annual influx of newcomers who will inevitably be inspired to pick up a racquet after watching thrilling professional rallies unfold on TV.

While major tournaments like the Wimbledon Championships play an important role in attracting new players to the sport, Declan Minns, racquets manager at Virgin Active Chiswick Riverside Club, thinks that the social element of racquet sports is what actually keeps people playing for years.

“Racquet sports are typically very sociable sports,” he says. “Lots of people will train with us and then will go through to the café together to chat over a coffee.”

Racquet sports also offer an array of mental and physical benefits.

“Racquet sports tend to involve a lot of short, sharp sprints and explosive movements, but there’s also a lot of recovery time within a game too, so it’s really great for both your heart health and muscular health,” says Declan.

“Players also develop great hand-eye and foot-eye co-ordination.”

The world of racquet sports offers plenty of variety, and in recent years newer formats such as padel and pickleball have exploded in popularity across the UK.

Pickleball

“Pickleball, at entry level, is much more accessible if you’d like to just jump on the court and play a match straight away,” says Declan.

“You can play indoors or outdoors, but I would say there are a lot less pickleball courts in the UK compared to tennis courts because tennis has a much wider history and heritage in the UK.”

He adds that pickleball, compared to tennis, is more gentle and easy to learn.

“Pickleball is much more gentle on your body because the court is a lot smaller,” explains Declan.