The Lensbury unveiled its new padel and pickleball courts on Friday (10 October).

To celebrate the unveiling, the hotel hosted an unveiling party, exclusive to members, which saw professional padel and pickleball players cut a ribbon in the entrance to the court.

It took The Lensbury two years to get planning permission to install the courts (Credit: Tilly O'Brien)

Starting at 6pm on Friday, guests enjoyed complementary canapes and drinks as well as music from a DJ.

Guests enjoyed complimentary canapes (Credit: Tilly O'Brien)

Before the ribbon cutting took place, The Lensbury's Managing Director, Claire Llewellin-Davis, welcomed guests to the celebration with a speech.

In her speech, Llewellin-Davis explained that it took two years for planning applications for the courts to be granted permission and The Lensbury is the only place in Teddington offering two panoramic Italian courts.

The Lensbury is the only place in Teddington offering two panoramic Italian courts (Credit: Tilly O'Briren)

She then also introduced professional padel players, Jorge Martinez, Gascon Carrascosa, Antonio Cifuentes, and Frankie Batt.

Martinez is the former World Padel Tour competitor and four-time UK No.One. He is one of the most respected figures in British padel, and now the Head Coach at Padium Padel Club.

Carrascosa is Spanish born, a former UK No.Two, and brings over 18 years of professional padel coaching and playing. He is now Head Coach at The Padel Hub.

Cifuentes used to teach padel in Cadiz and competed at a high level in Spain. He now coaches both amateur and professional players at Padel Social Club.

And Batt is a Team GB representative and junior captain at the 2017 World Championships. He now coaches at Padium Padel Club and supports the GB women's team.

Four proffessional players attended the celebration (Credit: Tilly O'Brien)

From 6.30pm – 7.30pm, guests enjoyed a taster session on the two sports led by the professionals and from 7.30pm – 9pm, they were invited to watch a match played by the professionals.

The Lensbury's padel and pickleball courts are exclusive to members only.

These state-of-the-art facilities mark a significant expansion of the club's racquet sports offering and reflect its ongoing commitment to innovation, and provide engaging ways to stay active and social for its members and guests.

Padel is a fast-paced racquet sport that blends elements of tennis and squash, played in doubles on enclosed courts. Originating in Mexico in the 1960s, padel has grown into a global sensation, now boasting over 25 million players worldwide.

The sport's popularity has surged across Europe and is now one of the fastest-growing sports in the UK. Pickleball, a fun and accessible sport from the USA, is played on a smaller court with a unique layout.

Combining elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis, it is rapidly gaining popularity across all age groups, thanks to its easy-to-learn rules and sociable nature.

The new courts have been carefully designed with minimal disruption to existing tennis facilities to maximise The Lensbury's offering.

The addition includes two floodlit panoramic padel courts and three floodlit pickleball courts, bookable daily from 7am - 10pm (Monday – Saturday) and 9am – 6pm on Sunday.

All courts are access-controlled, available to members and hotel guests, and bookable via The Lensbury's App.

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