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Straits Times
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Strong field as women's event returns to Queen's after 52-year gap
LONDON - Top tier women's tennis returns to Queen's Club for the first time in more than half a century on Monday with the start of the WTA 500 event at the prestigious London establishment. While the men's event has become one of the key dates in the grasscourt season and the build-up to Wimbledon, a women's tournament was last held in 1973. In effect, Olga Morozova can claim to have been the reigning champion for 52 years, but not for much longer. A high-quality field have assembled in south west London including Olympic champion Zheng Quinwen, reigning Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, current Australian champion Madison Keys and former Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina. There will also be strong home interest with Emma Raducanu, Sonay Kartal and Katie Boulter all in the draw. "I've actually always said to myself, I wish there was a women's event here," Boulter said in the build-up. "I wish I got the chance to play on this court, because you can feel the history and you can feel how incredible it is." One thing is for sure, it will feel a world away from when Morozova won the title with a wooden racket, spent the week staying in a cheap bed and breakfast in Earl's Court and took a public bus to the courts for her matches. She earned 1,000 pounds for her work that week, although coming from the former Soviet Union meant she could not keep it. The inaugural version of the revamped event will boast total prize money of $1.415 million, the highest for a WTA 500 event of its draw size on the Tour, with the singles champion receiving a cool $164,000. Organisers say, they plan to have equal prize-money with the men's event, which takes place the following week, by 2029. The ATP event has a total prize fund of $2.87 million. The WTA 250 event in Eastbourne will take place from June 23-28, in the week before Wimbledon. "We are making significant increases this year to the women's prize money at Queen's and Eastbourne and want to achieve equal prize money as soon as possible," Lawn Tennis Association chief executive Scott Lloyd said in a statement. "The LTA is committed to growing women's tennis, both at professional and grass-roots level and this move is an important part of that commitment." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
BBC News
20-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Lifetime achievement award for Marlborough tennis volunteer
The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has given a Wiltshire volunteer a national honour at their annual awards Moore has been a tennis volunteer for 45 years, first in Scotland and then in Wiltshire as part of Marlborough receiving the national award from Sir Trevor McDonald, Mrs Moore said "it was a real honour".Marlborough Tennis was also named club of the year at the ceremony, held at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton on 24 April. Mrs Moore said her reaction when her name was read out at the awards was one of shock. "Oh my goodness me, its me. How has this happened to me?" she said. Receiving the award from Sir Trevor McDonald was a "real honour" said Mrs Moore adding "he's passionate about tennis".Former British number one player Andrew Castle was among the elite players at the awards, and he made sure to speak to Mrs Moore personally."He came came up at the end and said how wonderful it was that people like me got him into tennis and he had the opportunities he had."You kinda think - wow." Mrs Moore's love of tennis began early. She played from the age of 10 at Glasgow's Titlow Tennis Club and was committee member at arriving in Wiltshire for work she qualified as a coach at Marlborough in 2004 and was chair between 2002 and now co-leads the community-focused club, which she described as "special", as a trustee on coaching."We're known as this really social welcoming club and that feels good, it's nice to be a part of that and to have helped built it," she her final year as chair, Mrs Moore oversaw the completion of six new courts and clubhouse on the edge of Marlborough Golf Club costing £1.2m. Current chair of Marlborough Tennis, Andrew Payne, said waiting for the LTA to announce the winner of club of the year was a "nail-biting moment".He said: "We were absolutely delighted, the club WhatsApp was on fire."The magic is we have formed a club that is driven by community."There is something for everyone. We have worked really hard at that, through a volunteer effort."
Telegraph
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
‘Padel has made my life a living hell. It's like being at the Somme'
At 75, Jenni Chilvers expected to be spending more time in her garden. But this week, when the sun was shining in a cloudless blue sky, temperatures were nudging into the 70s and the wisteria was cascading down the front of the house like a glorious mauve waterfall, she barely set foot out of doors. Chilvers is a victim of the latest blight to hit the leafy suburbs of Middle England. Her home, in a quiet cul-de-sac in Winchester, Hampshire, one of England's oldest cities, backs on to three padel courts. If you had not yet heard of padel, it was only a matter of time. It is the world's fastest-growing racquet sport; some, including the Lawn Tennis Association, even claim it is the world's fastest-growing sport, full stop. Everyone agrees it is good to get people active, and padel appeals to players of all ages and abilities. The problem is the noise. If there is anything louder than the grunts and exclamations of a padel player in full flight, it is the crack of the padel ball against the bat or the glass sides of the court. The sound has been likened to a volley of gunshots. The players evidently swear a lot, too. The sport is played with bats made of hard, expanded, foam-like, large table tennis racquets – and as the court is smaller than a tennis court, the volleys are faster and more furious. The ball can also be played off the walls and even, if the player is quick enough, from outside the court. Peter Chilvers, Jenni's husband, at 82 semi-retired from his job as a building surveyor, says his wife is particularly susceptible to noise. Even in summer, they have to keep the windows closed as the padel courts are in use from 8am to 9pm seven days a week. He says he tries to grit his teeth and ignore the, pardon the pun, racket. Mr Chilvers says: 'My wife is ultra-sensitive about the noise. It spoils her enjoyment in the garden. I kind of put up with it. If you get all the courts used at once by good players, it's like being on the Somme: boom, boom, boom, boom.' Mrs Chilvers says: 'At first, they tried to argue that padel is no louder than tennis, but that's manifestly untrue. Last year, I was very unwell and I'd try to have a rest in the afternoon, but there was the shouting and the thwacking when the ball hits the bat, the wall or the fence. When you have all three courts being used, it's unbearable, it's dreadful. In the house, with the windows closed and the curtains drawn, you can still hear it. 'We are probably worse affected than anybody because it's literally at the end of the garden.' The couple has noticed a difference between tennis players and padel players. Peter says: 'It does attract a different crowd. Tennis players are normally well behaved, but there's a lot of shouting and swearing from padel players. For the world, padel is probably a good innovation, because it's exercise and people get involved and seem to like it, but not when it's in your back garden.' The Chilverses' home adjoins the Winchester Racquets and Fitness (WRF) Club, which has been there since 1910, 60 years before padel was invented by Enrique Corcuera, a businessman from Acapulco, Mexico, who converted his squash court. Padel spread first through Latin America and Spain and then caught on among expats on the Costas, who brought it back to Britain. Said to be easier and less demanding than tennis, padel is an enjoyable way to get exercise. As it is usually played as a doubles game with four people, it can also be more sociable. Since 2011, when the first padel court was built in Britain, more than 140 padel clubs have sprung up, along with 760 courts. There are hundreds more in the planning pipeline. The issue of noise has been one of the biggest constraints, and several tennis clubs in residential areas have been forced to withdraw or amend applications to convert tennis courts to padel courts. The changeover has also pitched padelistas against more traditional tennis players worried about losing facilities to their rivals. The incentive for the clubs is that they can fit more padel courts in and therefore generate more revenue. Padel wars have broken out in middle-class ghettos such as St George's Hill in Surrey; Bath; Cheltenham; Lytham St Annes, Lancashire; and Enfield and Hampstead in London. The WRF has been issued with a noise abatement order by Winchester city council, which requires the club to propose an acceptable solution within six months. It was issued at the end of January and the club has six months to say what it intends to do to comply. Tim and Ruth Cooling moved to a large detached house that backs on to the WRF club so they could play their favourite sports without having to commute. He is now a keen padel player as well as captain of the squash team. He says the noise is noticeable but not a problem for someone who grew up with a railway line at the bottom of the garden. He thinks the long-term solution is to cover the padel courts possibly with a translucent 'bubble' like the one that covers several of the tennis courts. 'At the moment, the courts are out of action if it's raining or if it's very gusty, and the club loses revenue when they are not in use. The initial cost would be more expensive, but they do have to do something about the noise anyway.' Mr Cooling, an NHS manager, says: 'Padel has emerged as a sociable sport for people who enjoy racquet sports but either find tennis too technically tricky or want to step back from the intensity of playing a game like squash. 'It's still moving your body, you're still raising your heart rate and it's easy to learn. Tennis is hard to learn. With squash you are trying hard not to have a heart attack. 'Padel is fun to play and more accessible, and it's just gaining in popularity. 'Padel courts are springing up all over the place in Winchester. The politics of it are that padel is growing in popularity, but with space at a premium, padel courts are having to be built on tennis courts – and tennis members are militantly getting themselves organised to try to block them. They are militarily organised here. They will flood committees with people who are not sympathetic to padel to block expansion of the game. 'Tennis members don't want to lose tennis courts; padel members want more padel courts because they are hard to book as it's very popular. Clubs are a bit stuck because they are trying to please all their members and they are trying to think about what's going to work financially and try not to lose the ethos of what their club is there to do. 'The problem that we have here is going to be echoed all across the land. They are trying to balance having this new, popular sport with a finite amount of land with this noise thing in the background as well.' Unlike sports such as golf, padel is economically accessible. Bats, the most expensive item of equipment, cost from £50 to £500 for the more sophisticated versions. Unlike with the higher echelons of tennis, there's no uniform and balls can be bought for £4.99 each. Prada has recently launched a sleek black padel bat for £1,530, but that's probably not going to make you a better player – just a poorer one. There are already an estimated 90,000 players in the UK and the number will only increase if the sport is included in the 2032 Olympics, if the International Padel Federation gets its way. One woman leaving a large new-build property shielded from the WRF only by a 20ft-high hedge says she no longer needs an alarm clock in the mornings. At 8am, without fail, the grunting and thwacking starts. She said: 'It's the 40-year-old men getting rid of their frustrations.' Having a 'padel problem' is not going to earn residents of the leafier parts of Winchester a huge amount of sympathy. Think ' first world problems '. Tim Cooling admits: 'It's a difficult case to carry off, because no one cares about people who live in million-pound-plus houses who have a bit of noise at the bottom of the garden. It does drift quite quickly into 'what a nice problem to have' territory.' Winchester Racquets and Fitness did not respond to a request for a comment but it clearly recognises the game can create something of a racket. Recently, it objected to a housing development on the site of a former old people's home next to the courts. In its letter to the council, it says that it has 'always sought to co-exist harmoniously with its residential neighbours but has received complaints about noise from the use of the padel courts'. The WRF said this matter was being taken 'very seriously' and that it was in the process of 'investigating options and means of reducing noise impact'. If the application were allowed, however, there would be a 'high risk of a significant adverse noise impact on the residents from the legitimate operation of the WRF's padel courts'. And before planning is granted, the council should be 'satisfied that the proposed residential scheme and the WRF may co-exist without causing significant adverse noise impact on the future occupants of the proposed development'. It is an irony that Mr Chilvers, whose living room was built long before padel was invented, is keen to point out as bish-bash-bosh echoes in the background.
Times
09-05-2025
- Times
‘Intimidated' neighbours accuse school over late-night tennis courts
Neighbours living next to an academy school in Norwich say their lives are now 'unbearable' because newly built tennis courts have become a magnet for antisocial behaviour. Residents of Lowther Road said some pupils' behaviour on the courts at City of Norwich School (CNS) left them feeling 'intimidated'. The five courts, which were funded by the Lawn Tennis Association, were built during the pandemic and CNS has applied to extend their opening hours until 10pm. • Neighbours fire back at 'gunshot' noise of padel courts It has left residents including Keith Philpot, 52, whose property backs on to the courts, fearing an already 'unbearable' situation will get much worse. 'You've got instructors yelling, whistles going, balls bouncing off fences,' he said. 'It's not just
News18
08-05-2025
- Business
- News18
Consortium Headlined By David Beckham, Gary Neville Acquire Salford City
Last Updated: The ownership group also includes American-based businessman Declan Kelly and Mervyn Davies, the chairman of Britain's Lawn Tennis Association. Salford City have been acquired by a new ownership group led by former England internationals David Beckham and Gary Neville, who were already investors in the club, the League Two (fourth-tier) side said on Thursday. The ownership group also includes American-based businessman Declan Kelly and Mervyn Davies, the chairman of Britain's Lawn Tennis Association. Salford said the acquisition includes a commitment to invest in the club, team and their facilities. Beckham and Neville had invested in the club along with other former Manchester United teammates Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Philip Neville. The other members of the so-called 'Class of '92' are no longer shareholders but will have roles at the club. 'I am passionate about Salford City. This is a unique partnership with a diverse range of minds and expertise, held together by a love of football," Gary Neville said in a statement. 'Football will come first, however it's critical that we drive the club towards sustainability in the next 4-5 years. I can't wait for the next part of this journey." Beckham, who grew up in Salford and also co-owns Major League Soccer side Inter Miami, said: 'Salford City is at the heart of its community … it has a rich history and I am delighted to be a part of the next chapter." Salford were taken over by members of the 'Class of '92' in 2014 along with Peter Lim, who is no longer a shareholder after Gary Neville acquired his stake last year. Since the takeover, the club have won four promotions in five years. They finished eighth in League Two this season, missing out on a playoff spot. The club have nine shareholders who also include Dream Sports Group, Colin Ryan, Frank Ryan, Nick Woodhouse and Shravin Mittal. First Published: May 08, 2025, 19:33 IST
