Dubai: The Emirates Padel Tennis Association (EPTA) was only formed in July 2014, with Shaikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Bin Juma Al Maktoum as its first president. Spearheading the association since then, Shaikh Saeed has gone about the task of consolidating the sport all across the country.
In a matter of just a year, there are now more than 100 players who compete in the UAE’s padel tennis competitions.
The EPTA received a huge boost when Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council (DSC), received the new board of directors and drove home the importance of doing everything in its power to achieve the national mission of padel tennis.
Since then, Shaikh Hamdan has been a foremost supporter of this new sport, with his private Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex housing four state-of-the-art indoor courts and one outdoor court.
Padel tennis may be a relatively new sport — having been developed in the late 1960s in South America — but it is becoming increasingly popular. It involves string-less racquets and is played on a court smaller than a tennis court, and is said to bring together elements of both tennis and squash.
With everything now in place, Shaikh Saeed is eyeing a bright future for padel tennis in the UAE, as he relates in this interview with Gulf News:
GULF NEWS: You have visited both sides, first as a tennis player and now as president of the EPTA. What strikes you most about this new sport?
SHAIKH SAEED: Padel tennis is a new sport here, so we can compare it to a new-born baby. This baby needs to be looked after and nourished properly, and this is exactly where the challenge comes in. There is no doubt that we need to find ways and means to develop the sport uniformly all over the UAE. For us to be where we are, we need to thank Shaikh Hamdan. He has been the main character behind everything that has been happening in padel tennis in the UAE. He is always pushing us to achieve something new. And he is leading the way by personal example, thus giving us this sense that we need to fast-track our efforts and deliver to become one of the top countries in padel tennis.
Q: Why did you choose padel tennis over tennis?
A: I was a tennis player, but now I am a full-time padel tennis fan. There are a lot of similarities between the two sports and, at the same time, minor differences. But somehow this sport appeals to me, and that is why I chose it over tennis.
Q: Now that you head the association, what measures are being taken to sustain this sport in the UAE?
A: We have thought about this aspect and I think we have already made a solid start by promoting the sport from the grassroots levels. Since the end of the last academic year, we have already begun visits to various schools in the country so that we could tap youngsters. And it is not just the schools that we are interested in. In fact, we have started looking everywhere. Our scouts go to the beaches, to the malls and to the various social and sports clubs in the country.
Q: Do you think you need to get more people involved in padel tennis? If so, what are your plans to achieve this goal?
A: I think we have made a good start. At any given time we have nearly 100 players turning up for any padel tennis tournament organised locally. This is a huge number. All we need to do now is find ways and means to sustain padel tennis and ensure a healthy growth. I don’t want to run before walking. I want to first learn to walk properly and then start running.
Q: What sort of targets do you have in mind? Are you taking any cues from what has happened in tennis?
A: I am aware of what has happened in tennis. I know what is happening in tennis with the association sometimes finding it tough to put together strong teams at various competitions, including the Davis Cup. But there is a difference between tennis and padel tennis. Ours is a new sport and most of it is played indoors. So there is no restriction on time spent by a player on court, compared to what he would do in tennis. Secondly, this is a sport meant for doubles only and that is a huge advantage as anyone can play padel tennis.
Q: What does the future for padel tennis look like?
A: The idea is to open up the sport all over the UAE, not just restrict it to Dubai. There is a plan in place. One of the surest ways is to push the sport, if not peddle the sport, to even the furthermost corner of the country.
Q: The Dubai Padel Masters is scheduled to be held at the end of October. What can we expect from hosting such a high-ranking event here?
A: The Dubai Padel Masters will be like our opening song of a melody. We had to make a start somewhere, and we thought the best way to do so is by bringing in the best players from across the world to Dubai. Here, people will get the opportunity of watching the best on the planet in one place. Everyone is welcome to watch the Masters, and this could well be the first step for us as a young sport. The Dubai Padel Masters will have a huge impact in the UAE. While having some of the best players will cause a stir, it will be parents and youngsters alike who will find something to look forward to in this new sport. During the course of the tournament, we will try and get these best players involved in training clinics for youngsters here. That’s the plan to ensure we go the distance and popularise padel tennis in the UAE.
