There I am, in the middle of four shimmering glass walls. The Cypriot sunshine is beating down on my now Drumstick Squashie-looking lower forearms, and I’m sweating profusely after being given the runaround by the two men standing opposite me.
This may sound like I’m having a rubbish and draining time. But no, I was beaming ear-to-ear, having the most fun I’d had in years playing sport.
The scene I am describing is of me after playing endless hours of padel, the fastest-growing sport in the UK, at Aphrodite Hills Resort on the glorious coast of Cyprus.
If you are unaware of the sport (which feels impossible in 2026), then it can only be described as the love child of squash and tennis, and it is experiencing a major boom across England, Wales and Scotland.
I mean, it’s everywhere. The older generation love it. Millennials adore it. And Gen Zers are even getting their paws on the funky no-string rackets. Football has been traditionally named ‘the people’s game’ but I believe that sentiment more reflects padel in the modern era.
At the recreational level, the sport is absolutely thriving. There has been a 900 per cent increase in padel courts in the UK over the last few years, and in 2024 it was estimated that the number of players had risen 2,567 per cent since 2019.
Padel has become the fastest growing sport in the UK and Daily Mail reporter Harry Bamforth is now the latest addict
These may sound like outrageous numbers, but living in London, it seems like they are popping up on every street corner. Padel courts will soon be the sporting version of pubs in the capital.
Despite the figures showing that everyone and their grandmother plays the sport, I rocked up at the swankiest of sporting and luxury hotels having only played once before back in my university days. The less said about how I played that day, the better.
But did I tell the coaches at the shiny, brand-spanking-new Racket Club that? No. I’m not sure why, but I believed that my one session from all those years ago was enough to make me a seasoned amateur padel player.
Thankfully, the coach for our press group, Vis, with whom I had plenty of debates about his beloved Chelsea, saw through my ego and gave me the coaching I needed anyway. And boy, did I need it.
Representing Daily Mail Sport, I had been invited over to Aphrodite Hills Resort to try out their new Sports Hub, which featured the refurbished and rebranded Racket Club. Thankfully, they hadn’t seen my exploits with the padel racket all those years ago; otherwise, that email might never have dropped into my inbox.
The moment I strolled up the steps to the facility, I was impressed. They have premium-level courts, which had me wondering if, by training here long enough, I could become the next Andy Murray. Within one pathetic attempt of a forehand, though, I knew it would take more than just Vis’s expert coaching and the first-class facilities to make that happen.
But in all seriousness, the upgrade of the centre has made the resort the ideal place for both serious athletes and recreational players to come and enjoy tennis and padel while also unwinding in a holiday hotspot with the backdrop of cloudless blue skies and sunshine. Sport is all about balance, after all.
Daily Mail Sport visitied the newly refurbished Racket Club at Aphrodite Hills Resort
It houses three renovated padel courts as well as a whole host of hard and clay tennis courts
We were given the opportunity to play on their newly upgraded clay tennis courts, which sadly did not turn me into prime Rafa Nadal. It also contains five state-of-the-art hard courts and three renovated padel courts (my favourite, but we will get to that).
Staff at the club all sport clothing from the ever-so suave fashion brand Ralph Lauren, making it feel as though you were getting ready to walk out on Centre Court, while there is also the Healthy Bar for food and drinks if you feel peckish before or after an intense hour or so on the courts.
Following a tennis session, the came. It was my chance to dust off the cobwebs and get back on a padel court to see what all the fuss was about. I was joined by three others from the pack, all with mixed experience, and we just wanted a few friendly games before getting properly taught by Vis.
These friendly games soon became rather competitive, well, at least for me. That’s because no matter which fellow journalist was paired with me, we lost. One match, lost. Oh well, we go again. A second one, lost. It’s OK; I will get the hang of it eventually, I thought. A third one goes by… another defeat. OK, this is getting silly now.
By the time the fourth one came to its conclusion and I had tasted defeat once more, I had lost it. Luckily, padel rackets have a Wii-controller-like strap for your wrist, which stopped me from lobbing it at the gleaming glass framing the new courts.
But while I was at the 2007-08 Derby County of padel, I became absolutely addicted to the sport. Following a lesson a day later, I played for hours and hours and didn’t want to leave the court.
It was easy to see why the sport has grown so fast back home. It’s fast-paced, technical, but most of all social. Despite my personal hatred of losing and being rubbish at something, I was still thoroughly enjoying chatting and playing with a group of people who had turned from strangers to friends in just a matter of days.
Aphrodie Hills resort is situated south of Paphos on the beautiful coast of Cyprus
Since my trip to the resort, which spans 234 hectares and features a championship 18-hole golf course that was used during the European Tour in 2020, I’ve struggled to get away from those four glass walls. My experience just south of Paphos ignited an obsession for the sport inside me.
During my time at the resort, which spanned four days and three nights, we were taken to a range of vibrant restaurants with a variety of cuisines, the aforementioned golf course for another lesson, and I stayed in an apartment so luxurious I felt like I was living the life of Tony Stark without superpowers.
I doubt it will be long until I am back there swinging my racket aimlessly and losing endlessly.
