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Main image: Stock image of padel court
In the previous edition, readers of The BUZZard were introduced to Jonathan Hills – the developer of Telesto Clay Court Tennis Centre at Rooirivier. If you missed that story, the nutshell version is that the centre is being constructed over a number of phases, the first comprising the establishment of padel tennis and clay courts, a pro shop, and refreshment stop.
Future phases will include the construction of a clubhouse, gym, studio training facility and players’ lounge, as well as ATP-sized hard courts. And now, on top of all that excitement, another player enters the stage …
Jonathan’s passion and commitment to the sport is clearly on display when he talks about his ambitions. ‘Clay tennis courts are a significant innovation in the world of tennis, and many South African players struggle to go pro as they never have the experience of practising on such courts.
‘Our courts will be open to any players and coaches who would like the experience of playing on clay courts and bettering their game. This is why we want to offer all players the opportunity to come and play tennis or padel tennis, join training camps, and take lessons. This will be a court for everyone to help elevate all South African tennis players.
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‘We will also start hosting tournaments by early 2023 and hope to build up our one-of-a-kind centre to host ATP tournaments on television one day. Our four-year plan is to host South Africa’s first international tournament on clay!
Telesto Tennis Centre today
Following through on his commitment, the Telesto Tennis Centre opened to the public on 28 November. Jonathan says he looks forward to introducing George residents to the sport of padel tennis. For those not in the know, this racquet sport is typically played in doubles on a glassenclosed court, about half the size of a standard tennis court. Scoring is the same as for normal tennis, and balls used are similar but with a little less pressure.
Padel Tennis international following …
Arguably the world’s best footballer, Lionel Messi is known to be a huge fan of padel. The sport is played by around two million people in his native Argentina and is popular with many footballers, the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimović, Gerard Piqué and Francesco Totti also being regular players. According to skysports.com, Messi is such a big padel fan that he boasts a court in the garden at his home in Barcelona, Spain, and has been seen playing there against former team-mate Luis Suarez. Some guys have all the bucks, erm, ball skills …
Back on the home front, padel tennis is only just gaining some momentum in South Africa. But with no courts in the vicinity of George, the Telesto padel tennis offering is a huge attraction. In additions to the courts, the centre has a pro shop, where you can hire or purchase the padel equipment, plus a tennis racquet stringer and general tennis equipment to purchase. The coffee shop is open and also serves cold drinks.
Players can rent a court for one-hour sessions at R300; should you need to hire the padel equipment, it is an additional R100.
To book a court, contact jonathan@telestoclaytennis. com or 066 236 6334. The sport is family-friendly, but Jonathan advises that children under 14 years be accompanied by an adult.
