Cambridge’s Teresa Catlin swaps racket sports after being called up to Great Britain team for European Padel Championships in Valencia, Spain

Former tennis professional Teresa Catlin is set to represent Great Britain at a second sport.

Despite only turning her focus from tennis to padel three months ago, the Cambridge Lawn Tennis Club manager has been selected for the European Padel Championships in Spain next month.

The 56-year-old, who played tennis for GB at both junior, senior and age group level, has been named in the squad for the 55+ age group at the International Padel Federation Senior Euro Padel Cup in Valencia.

And although she hoped she had an outside chance of selection after storming up the GB padel rankings this summer, she thought she might miss out despite reaching number 11 when the selections were made.

There are eight places in the squad, with the top two playing in the team competition and the rest representing GB in a different doubles event on the same stage.

Unlike tennis, padel is almost always played as doubles.

Catlin, the former 50+ tennis world singles and doubles champion in 2019, was delighted but surprised.

“I was told it’s pretty unusual to get selected so quickly,” she said. “Compared to the top players, I’m playing catch-up.”

She will have the bonus of teaming up with her season-long doubles partner Sally Fisher, from Yorkshire, in Spain as she is ranked number two in the country and has been selected for both the team and pairs events.

Although Catlin classes herself as a novice in international company, she is not a complete stranger to padel, having played in Spain while working there during 2009.

Now the proximity of two courts in Cambridge to the tennis club on Wilberforce Road, where she works, has tempted her back to a sport which is already popular in Europe and is rapidly expanding in the UK.

Cambridge, however, only has five courts, two at the University Sports Centre, where Catlin plays, and three at the David Lloyd complex in Cherry Hinton.

“We need more courts and there are people actively looking for suitable sites like tall (7m) barns and warehouses so we can increase the numbers and standard of players,” she said.

“I am the only 50+-ranked woman in Cambs and one of three at 40+.”

Having said that, Cambridge-based players are enjoying success on the national stage despite the lack of facilities in the county.

Catlin and mixed doubles partner Nick Brown won the Bicester Open against much younger players and their regular training opponents Karen Altmayer and Ryan O’Donnell won the Grade 4 Rocket Padel event at Ilford, beating the No 1 seeds in the final.

Chris Shaw, a padel and squash coach at the university, and Rob Dadds teamed up to finish third in a padel tournament in Brighton.