Padel trophy stops off in town before tour

A TROPHY that is competed for by the world’s best padel players is to be escorted across Europe by a Henley travel agent.

The Padel Travel Club in Gardiner Place was founded in January last year and is one of the first companies in the UK that provides padel-focused holiday packages.

The travel agent has taken possession of the 2024 Hexagon Cup, which was won last year by team AD/vantage, which is owned by boxer Anthony Joshua and retired professional tennis player Andy Murray.

The Hexagon Cup trophy has been in London for a year and the Padel Travel Club will transport it to Madrid for the next tournament which runs from January 29 to February 2.

The business, which is a sister company to Saville Row Travel, is the official UK and US tour operator for the tournament.

It was founded by mother and son and padel enthusiasts Patricia and Luke Frost, who run the business with fellow directors Matt Riches and Richard Lewis.

Unlike tennis, padel allows the ball to be played off walls and uses a smaller, thicker racquet.

Ms Frost, who lives in Wargrave, has played for 30 years. She said: “I first learnt it in Marbella on holiday. It’s like a cross between tennis and squash with an underarm serve, which is infinitely easier. In the UK, because it’s a relatively new sport, most people who learn are very new so you don’t have to feel intimidated.”