Olympian turns hand to padel as new court opens in East Grinstead
An Olympic gold medallist who played club hockey in West Sussex is vying to reach the top of another sport - padel.Sophie Bray, who was part of the Great Britain hockey side which won gold in the 2016 Rio games, retired from hockey in 2019.She has swapped the hockey stick for a racket by taking up padel, which she plays on a new four court facility which will be fully open to the public in East Grinstead from this weekend.Nine years on from her Olympic gold, Bray has risen the rankings and currently sits in the top 20 women's padel players in the country.
She said it has been a "great replacement for playing hockey"."It's super social and there's more enjoyment as the improvement curve goes up," she said."I think while I was still playing both sports, the girls used to laugh at me that I was playing padel on the hockey pitch."Played in doubles on an enclosed court, padel - considered a blend of tennis and squash - is on the rise in the UK.The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) estimates that there will be more than 1000 padel courts in the UK by the start of 2026 - up from just 50 back in 2019.Still enthusiastic about competing, Bray has taken part in LTA tournaments and is keen to see where this journey takes her.As for East Grinstead's new facility, she believes it makes an "amazing club" even better.
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