Padel is very popular, much to the chagrin of some tennis players. The new racket sport, which is like a mixture of squash and tennis, is threatening indoor tennis courts, which are increasingly being replaced by paddle courts. Tennis players express their discontent through a petition and an open letter.
Arnolduspark has been the place where young and old have enjoyed playing tennis for decades. From recreational tennis players to aspiring young players. Fun tournaments. Nice free play. He drinks coffee. tennis lessons. This is Arnoldus Park! like him Describe Erwin de Groot’s beloved tennis club in Haarlemmermeer.
Problem: The owner of the club, Basic Fit, wants to replace the existing indoor tennis courts with tennis courts and a babysitting facility. “This pebble is nice in the summer, but where will our kids play tennis in the winter?” De Groot wondered.
No surprise
This sport has long been very popular in other countries, but it took some time for the sport of padel to begin to emerge in the Netherlands. turned last year Preparation That there were 755 courts of exchange in the Netherlands in October 2021. A year later there were already 1,450. For comparison: in 2016 there were less than a hundred. The tennis association KNLTB expects there will be more than 2,000 jobs by the end of 2023.
Therefore, this is not the first time that tennis players have been upset. In March, The Tennis Journal com. TennisPassion that open letter Written to KNLTB. It stated, among other things, that too many tennis courts would be replaced by paddle courts. Also, most of the money that comes from the tennis associations will be put into the courts by the KNLTB. com. TennisPassion He wants to participate in this decision
“I can’t make you”
De Groot is one such father of children who loves to play tennis. There is a tennis school and association in Arnolduspark. “But in the end it remains a Basic Fit business event.” The plans are clear, three tennis courts have already been converted, and now the rest will follow. “I could make all of that happen, but I thought I’d do a petition.”
De Groot knows that padel is always a success. Therefore, he does not mind adding some tennis courts, as he is only opposed to completely replacing tennis courts. “It stunts children’s development, and you can’t fix that,” says de Groot. “I understand the commercial interest, but there is also a social interest.” KNLTB sympathizes with De Groot, but states that it can do nothing about the choice of Basic Fit.
The chance of doing something about it is probably very small, says de Groot. “But I thought I should talk, who knows, maybe we’ll keep a couple of jobs.”
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