MARIGOT—Tennis Club Ile de Saint Martin (TCISM) has introduced a new sport Paddle Tennis to its club at the Albéric Richards Stadium courts in Sandy Ground. Paddle Tennis combines the skills of Squash and Tennis and is played in an enclosed glass-paneled court.
The competition court was constructed from part of the 200,000-euro funds obtained from the French Tennis Federation (FFT), funds that were given to rehabilitate the tennis courts at the club following Hurricane Irma.
“Paddle Tennis started in Mexico first, then moved to Argentina and then 20 year later to France and Europe,” explained Tennis Pro Philippe Alonso, formerly the Tennis Pro at Port de Plaisance. “It’s very popular in France right now but the best professional players are in Spain.”
Alonso, who accepted the Tennis Pro position in Sandy Ground two months ago, recently took a course in Spain to become a qualified Paddle Tennis instructor and according to him he is the only authorized Paddle Tennis on the island instructor giving lessons.
“It’s a sport that’s easy to learn, it’s fast and a lot of fun, much faster than regular tennis,” he adds. “Even if you don’t play tennis, don’t play squash, or any racquet sports, you will be able to play Paddle Tennis easily.”
The first Paddle Tennis competition will be organised from January 11 to 27, 2019, open to everyone. Categories will be Men Singles, Women Singles, Men Doubles and Women Doubles. To take part in the competition one has to be a member of TCISM. Thanks to a generator for the lights, play is possible in the evening.
Said Tennis Club President, Osé St. Louis Gabriel: “It was important for us to have a Pro who has a good depth of experience and knowledge and we have found that in Philippe. The Paddle Tennis court is also a way for us to get income coming in, as since the hurricane we lost a lot of members.”
The Tennis Club hosted a Christmas party for the children at the club despite not having the club house which is still in a damaged state and not habitable since the hurricanes.
“The Collectivité has told us that it will be repairing the club house in 2019 but we don’t know if it will be January or February, or further down the line,” said Gabriel. “It’s very important for us to have the club house back. For one thing we don’t have changing rooms and toilets and all our equipment is in containers. Right now, we don’t have any toilets and that’s a problem for the women, not so much for the men. Depending what the Collectivité’s schedule is, we may have to bring in mobile toilets.”
The public is invited to watch Paddle Tennis on Saturdays, Tuesdays or Thursdays. For more information about Paddle Tennis and the upcoming tournament, call (0690) 55.10.47
