Welcome back to This Week in Padel — your weekly roundup of everything happening in the UK padel world. From big club openings to international glory, it’s been another busy seven days on and off the court. Let’s dive in.
🏆 Tournament Results: R3 Bullpadel Cup at Stratford
The R3 Bullpadel Cup kicked off the 2026 competitive season in style at Stratford Padel Club in Essex, running from 27 February to 1 March. Ranked as a Grade 1 event — the highest national level in the UK — the tournament carried a £25,000 prize fund and featured 32 pairs in both men’s and women’s main draws, plus junior categories.
British national champions Alex Loughlan and Louie Harris were among the headline names, alongside members of the national team and several international competitors. The event also marked the debut pairing of Spain’s Alberto García Jiménez (FIP #112) with British No.1 ranked international Christian Medina Murphy (FIP #129) — the highest-ranked British player on the global circuit — who has extended his contract with R3 Sport through to February 2028. Rising British talent Benedetto Campione was also seeded at the event as he targets a regular place on the professional circuit in 2026.
Full results via Padel Magazine.
🌍 Player Spotlight: Aimee Gibson Wins in Doha
GB No.1 Aimee Gibson has been in superb form to start 2026, claiming her first FIP title of the year at the FIP Bronze event in Doha. Partnering with Spain’s Alba Perez Momha, Gibson impressed throughout the tournament to take the title — a strong sign of what could be a landmark year for British padel’s leading women’s player.
Currently ranked inside the FIP top 90, Gibson continues to raise the bar for British women on the international stage. Keep an eye on her as the FIP calendar heats up in the coming months.
Source: LTA Padel
🏅 LTA Names Iciar Montes as GB Performance Coach
In what is a landmark appointment for the GB programme, the LTA has named Iciar Montes as its new Padel International Performance Coach. And this is no ordinary hire — Montes was world number one for 12 years, won nine world titles as a player, then led the Spain women’s national team to five world championships and three European crowns.
Montes will work alongside Libby Fletcher on the GB women’s team, while fellow international coach Agustín Gómez Silingo transitions to the men’s programme. Having already been involved with the LTA’s coach education team since 2023, Montes brings world-class expertise that could significantly accelerate British padel’s development at the elite level.
Source: The Padel Paper
🏟️ UK Club News: Smash Padel Opens in Cardiff
Award-winning operator Smash Padel has expanded into South Wales, opening its latest club in the Pontcanna suburb of Cardiff. The new venue boasts six canopy-covered courts, a clubhouse and café — and celebrated its launch on Friday 20 February with a rugby-themed event timed perfectly with the Wales v Scotland Six Nations clash the following day.
Welsh rugby legends Rhys Priestland, Ceri Sweeney and Lloyd Williams took on Scottish internationals Craig Chalmers, Max Evans, Sean Lineen and John Barclay on the new courts, with 200 guests in attendance. Smash Padel’s inclusive, coach-led model includes a six-step junior pathway from “Little Smashers” (ages 4–6) right up to national and European competition level.
Source: The Padel Paper
🎾 Carbon Padel: Manchester’s 17-Court Padel Mecca
Manchester just got a serious padel upgrade. Carbon Padel Club in West Gorton has made a splash as one of the UK’s biggest padel venues — with 17 courts on a single site, the most anywhere in the country. But what’s really caught people’s attention is the club’s community-first approach.
Regular tournaments, coaching, university socials and an over-50s programme sit alongside partnerships with MCRActive to offer discounted court time to local Manchester communities. Upcoming offerings include pilates-and-padel sessions for mothers and a women’s day initiative. The M3 Padel Academy is also coming soon. A brilliant example of how padel can embed itself deep into the fabric of a city.
Source: The Padel Paper
📱 British Teens Launch Padel Injury Prevention App
In a sign that British padel is developing at every level, a group of British teenagers have launched ATHLFT — a padel-focused strength and conditioning app designed specifically for injury prevention. The app aims to help players at all levels train smarter and stay on the court longer, addressing one of the most common concerns for recreational and competitive players alike.
Source: The Padel Paper
🏴 Soul Padel Eyes Ayr United Partnership
North of the border, Soul Padel has announced plans to build a new padel club at Ayr United’s Somerset Park football ground in Scotland. The partnership signals the growing trend of padel operators teaming up with football clubs to make use of stadium real estate — bringing the sport to new communities and football audiences alike.
Source: The Padel Paper
📅 Upcoming Events to Watch
- LTA Padel British Tour 2026 — The full performance calendar is now live. From Grade 5 local events through to Grade 1 national competitions, there’s competitive padel for every level across the country. Find an event near you.
- FIP Senior World Padel Cup — British seniors will compete in September 2026.
- FIP Junior Euro Padel — GB juniors are also pencilled in, with dates to be confirmed.
That’s your lot for this week — an absolutely packed seven days that shows just how fast British padel is growing. New clubs, world-class coaching appointments, tournament action and grassroots innovation all in the same week. The sport is on a serious upward curve.
See you next week! 🎾
