Sir Andy Murray - Padel tennis pioneer
Andy Murray is making provisions - and has already invested in his future: The two-time gold medal winner at the Olympic Games has been a partner in a company that builds padel courts since 2019.
by Robin Huiber
last edit: Feb 22, 2022, 06:48 pm
Sir Andy Murray is still on the ATP tour looking for the success of the early years - but for the time after his career the Scot has already made a powerful and promising investment: Murray joined Game4Padel in 2019, a company that to take the padel sport in Great Britain to those heights that the sport is already at in countries like Spain or France.
In mid-2021 there were only around 100 courts across the UK, spread across just over 50 clubs. The English association, the Lawn Tennis Association, has also recognized the potential of this young sport. Padel courts are expected to increase by 400 percent annually by 2023.
Murray sees great potential
Just last fall, Andy Murray explained the reasons for his commitment in an interview with derstandard.at : “I think padel has great potential. It's a great way to get people into the sport of racquet. Padel is easy to learn, fun and sociable. The sport is growing very quickly in Great Britain, with countless courses opening up across the country.”
Murray isn't the only celebrity working in the background at Game4Padel. Peter Crouch, former England soccer player, has also joined the project. Annabel Croft has also pitched in as an ambassador for the company. Croft tried his hand at the WTA tour years ago - and TV viewers in this country should still remember it as a presenter at Eurosport.
The fact that Game4Padel was able to earn almost three million pounds in investments in November 2021 shows how much the Padel share is on the rise. This means that a total of 300 new courts are to be built over the next five years. With Andy Murray as the beaming draft horse, this should definitely be possible.