Yahoo News Padel star Theo Garton tells how family game of tennis led to representing Britain
From holding his first racket on a family holiday in Spain, to carrying the title of the youngest player in the Lawn Tennis Association’s men’s top 10, Middlesbrough-born Theo Garton is making strides in the world of padel.
The 20-year-old found the “fun” in the sport at just eight-years-old, and when given the opportunity to develop his skills with Middlesbrough Padel Club, he was introduced to the competitive side of the sport. He said: “When I realised there were tournaments in England that I could compete in, it just grew from there. I competed at a higher level and was hooked.”
Theo is now playing in the Great Britain Men’s Padel Squad. At just 16, he was invited to practice with the Under-16 GB Team. The former Carlton Primary School and Ingleby Manor Secondary School pupil told Teesside Live: “I hadn't really been playing properly for that long, so to get noticed at that standard by that group, and to know that there was a possibility for me to represent my country was a huge eye-opener and gave me something to push for.”
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Theo, who grew up in Carlton and moved to Stokesley around eight years ago, said there was more to the sport than what meets the eye: “It is competitive, but it’s fun to compete in. When you go to padel tournaments, everyone’s friends with everyone, there’s the social side that makes it a lot more enjoyable.”
The padel star said he was “fortunate to have the facilities in my area to grow in the sport, but in the rest of the North East, there aren’t many areas that have courts". Theo's dad, Nigel, 61, is also a tennis and padel coach at Middlesborough Padel Club.
Theo has now become an ambassador for Soul Padel, a Lancashire-based padel operator aiming to develop the sport across the UK. Theo said he admires their ambition to “make the sport as accessible to everyone as possible”, aligning with his mission to nurture a young generation of players, regardless of ability or background.
As part of his partnership, the sportsman will be holding coaching days and says: “You can take it however seriously you want to, depending on the people you bring down to play with, friends or family. It’s very easy to pick up, you can have a good game as soon as you start, so it’s definitely more attractive than other sports.
"There aren’t many sports where you’re surrounded by the glass walls and the cage, so it’s really unique. That will encourage people to come down.”
Theo, who previously worked for a scaffolding company at Teesport, added: "We need as a country to catch up to the likes of Spain and Argentina, who we don’t get close to competing with right now. If we can continue to grow the sport for the country, then there’s no reason why we can’t be competing with them. If I can provide a platform to help with that then that’s what I want to work towards.”
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