What London Premier Padel means for the future of padel in the UK

For the last few years we've all been talking about the growth of padel in the UK, because there are more clubs, and subsequently more people picking up a racket for the first time.

But London Premier Padel felt different. For the first time, the world's leading professional padel tour came to British soil, 20,000 people turned up across the week, and British players had the opportunity to compete on a home stage.

A few days later, Luke and I had the opportunity to get on court with Britain's No.1 Christian Medina Murphy and Alberto García Jiménez at Court De Padel.

That gave us a pretty unique perspective on the week.

London P1 showed us how far the sport has come in this country. Training with players at that level showed us just how much goes into playing padel at the very top, and, perhaps more importantly, how much recreational players can learn from it.

We spoke to Christian about the game too, including the one piece of advice he'd give to someone just starting out… yet his answer was surprisingly simple.

But after getting on court with them, it made complete sense.

Why did London Premier Padel matter?

London Premier Padel P1 was the first Premier Padel tournament ever held in the UK.

For context, Premier Padel is the highest level of the official professional game, bringing together the best players in the world at events across the international calendar and until now, watching that level of padel usually meant travelling abroad or watching through a screen.

Last week, it happened at Olympia. The best players in the world were competing in London, British players were sharing the same courts, and thousands of people were able to experience professional padel up close.

That’s important.

Because growing a sport isn’t only about getting more people to play it. It’s about giving people something to follow too.

British padel finally had its home-stage moment

One of my favourite parts of the week was seeing British players getting the opportunity to compete at that level in their own country.

Twelve British players received wildcards across qualifying and the main draw, giving home players the chance to compete against international opposition while gaining experience on one of the biggest stages in the sport.

British men’s No.1 Christian Medina Murphy partnered Spain’s Alberto García Jiménez in the men’s draw. They won their opening match 6-2, 6-2 before eventually going out in the second round.

While the result is significant, I think what it represents matters even more.

British players normally have to travel into countries where padel culture is already deeply established to experience this level of competition. For one week, the opposite happened: the world’s best came here.

And British padel got its home stage.

What elite padel actually feels like up close

A few days after Christian and Alberto's London Premier Padel run had come to an end, Luke and I had the opportunity to get on court with them at Court De Padel in Norwich.

What surprised me wasn't simply how hard they could hit a ball, but how controlled everything felt.

When you’re watching professional padel online, it's easy to focus on the huge smashes and ridiculous winners. However we found that being on court with players at that level gives you a completely different perspective.

Their preparation happens earlier, their positioning is more precise, their technique looks incredibly repeatable, they seem to have more time on the ball because they've already anticipated what's coming next. But perhaps most noticeably, they don't seem desperate to finish every point. There's a patience to it. They build the rally, get themselves into the right position and wait for the opportunity rather than trying to manufacture one.

It makes you realise just how much of high-level padel happens before someone actually hits the ball.

When I asked Christian what advice he'd give to someone just starting padel, his answer was simple:

"Don't try to win the point. Try to be solid and don't make unforced errors."

Yes, it sounds basic, but after getting on court with him and Alberto, as well as seeing them play in an exhibition match, it actually made sense seeing it put into practice.

At that level, the game isn't built around forcing winners from impossible positions. It's built around preparation, patience, positioning and repeatedly making the right decision.

And something else we learnt very quickly: body positioning and technique are everything. Everybody plays padel in the UK in a way that feels natural. You don’t even realise you’re doing it, but your arms are likely too bent, your body is too upright, and you’re not disguising your next shot well enough.

When we watched them play we noticed that they're preparing earlier. Their bodies disguise the next shot. Their technique stays controlled under pressure. And their positioning means they're often ready for the next ball before the current one has even crossed the net.

The best players don't seem desperate to finish every rally - instead they stay solid, build the point and wait for the opportunity to come. In many ways… the point is being won long before the winner is actually hit.

The biggest differences we noticed on court

The obvious difference between a professional player and the rest of us is ability.

But once you're standing on the same court, you start noticing the smaller differences too.

Preparation. They're ready earlier. Their feet, racket and body are prepared before the ball arrives, giving them more time, and the right angle, to execute the shot.

Body positioning. They use their body to disguise the next shot. Their stance is indifferent when they’re going for a lob, a chiquita, or a shot to feet.

Technique. Even as the pace increases, the fundamentals don't disappear. Their technique remains controlled and repeatable.

Decision-making. There's far less panic. They know when to attack, when to defend and when simply keeping the point alive is the right decision.

Consistency. Anyone can hit an unbelievable shot once. Elite players repeatedly produce the right shot.

Positioning. Sometimes the difference is only a couple of steps, but those couple of steps completely change the next ball.

Movement. Everything is efficient. Very little energy seems wasted.

That final point particularly stuck with me because padel is incredibly demanding when everything speeds up. You're moving forwards, backwards and sideways. You're stopping, rotating, accelerating and recovering, often multiple times within the same rally.

At a higher level, there's nowhere for unnecessary distractions to hide.

It's something we've talked about before when discussing why the smallest details make the biggest difference in padel, and seeing the professional game up close only reinforced it.

How big is the gap between recreational and professional padel?

It’s still significant. I don’t think that’s necessarily a negative. One of the unusual things about British padel is just how quickly recreational participation has developed compared with the professional side of the sport.

Thousands of people have fallen in love with playing padel before Britain has had decades to develop the coaching systems, junior pathways and competitive infrastructure found in countries such as Spain.

Why moments like this matter for the next generation

Imagine discovering padel as a kid in Britain five years ago.

You could play it, but there wasn’t much of a professional British padel world to look towards.

Now imagine discovering it today:

• You can go to Olympia and watch the world’s best.
• You can watch British players compete alongside them.
• You can find increasingly serious coaching.
• You can enter competitions.
• You can follow British professionals travelling around the world.

Suddenly, becoming genuinely good at padel doesn’t feel quite as abstract. That’s why I think bringing professional padel to Britain matters beyond attendance figures, as it gives the next generation something visible to aim towards.

Has padel properly arrived in the UK?

I think the answer is somewhere between yes and not yet.

The recreational side undoubtedly has momentum. More clubs are opening and filling their courts.

Communities are forming. Brands are developing. And now 20,000 people have attended Britain’s first Premier Padel event.

But becoming an established padel nation is different from having a fast-growing participation sport. That takes time. It takes a culture.

Britain needs more players progressing through competitive pathways, more high-level coaching, more opportunities for juniors and more occasions where our best players can compete against international opposition.

London P1 doesn’t complete that journey. It accelerates it.

What happens next for British padel?

This might be the most exciting part. Because the infrastructure around the sport now has to catch up with the enthusiasm for playing it.

More courts will help. Better coaching will help. More tournaments will help. Greater accessibility will matter enormously.

And continuing to bring events like Premier Padel to Britain gives people something at the very top of the sport to connect all of that grassroots growth to. We’ve previously written about why padel is growing so fast, but the next chapter is slightly different.

It’s no longer only:

“How many people can we get playing padel?”

It’s becoming:

“How far can British padel actually go?”

Where Padel Source fits into that future

For us, weeks like this reinforce why we’re building Padel Source.

We’re two people who fell in love with playing padel and ended up building a business around the sport.

Getting on court with players like Christian and Alberto, watching Britain’s first Premier Padel P1 unfold and seeing the community around the sport continue to develop makes it feel like we’re building at a pretty special time.

British padel is beginning to develop its own players, clubs, events and culture.

We believe the brands and clothing around the sport should develop alongside it. That’s ultimately what we’re trying to contribute to with Padel Source: products engineered around the demands of the sport, but a brand that’s part of the community surrounding them.

And training with players at that level reinforced something we've believed since we started. Performance isn't always about doing more. Sometimes it's about getting the fundamentals right.

• Better positioning.
• Better technique.
• Better decisions.
• Fewer unnecessary mistakes.

Christian's advice was aimed at players, but there's something about that mindset that feels relevant to the wider growth of British padel too. Get the foundations right, and build from there.

London P1 felt like a milestone for British padel, but not because it proved we've arrived. It showed what's possible.

We’re still right at the beginning.

So, it seems, is British padel.

And that’s exactly what makes it exciting.

London Premier Padel P1 FAQs

What was London Premier Padel P1?

London Premier Padel P1 was a professional padel tournament on the Qatar Airways Premier Padel Tour. The 2026 event marked the first time the world’s leading professional padel circuit had staged an event in the UK.

When was London Premier Padel P1 2026?

The main draw took place from 4-9 August 2026, with qualifying held on 2-3 August.

Where was London Premier Padel held?

London Premier Padel P1 was held at Olympia in West Kensington, London.

How many people attended London Premier Padel?

Around 20,000 fans attended Olympia across the week for the inaugural London Premier Padel P1.

Who won London Premier Padel 2026?

Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia became the inaugural men’s London champions, while Claudia Fernández and Martina Calvo won the women’s title.

Did British players compete at London Premier Padel?

Yes. Twelve British players received wildcards across the qualifying and main draws. British men’s No.1 Christian Medina Murphy competed alongside Alberto García Jiménez and progressed beyond the opening round.

Who is Britain’s No.1 men’s padel player?

Christian Medina Murphy is Britain's No.1 men's padel player and has represented British padel while competing internationally on the professional circuit.

What advice does Christian Medina Murphy give beginner padel players?

When Padel Source asked Christian Medina Murphy what advice he would give to people just starting padel, his answer was simple:

"Don't try to win the point. Try to be solid and don't make unforced errors."

His advice reflects something we noticed first-hand while training with him: good padel is built around consistency, positioning, technique, patience and making the right decisions rather than constantly trying to hit winners.