Saturday 09 / August / 2025
Jabal Akhdar: It was a maiden experience for Omani and other foreign players to play padel at such a high altitude in Jabal Akhdar.
Oman’s top tennis players Fatma Al Nabhani and Khaled Al-Nabhani tried their hands at the padel court built on the sprawling campus of dusitD2 Naseem Resort.
While speaking about the popularity of this game in Oman and around the world, local player Khaled Al-Nabhani said: “It's very popular in Spain. The game gained a lot of traction. When it came to the GCC, people liked the game. It started spreading to other countries in the GCC. Now, it has reached Oman for quite a while now. Maybe you can say almost three years. What's cool about this game is that it's easy to play. It's easier to play than tennis. It's played in doubles. It's a lot of fun to play. It's a lot of fun to play and it's more friendly as a beginner to start playing very quickly and getting used to the game.
“Another thing that's cool about it is that it's very social. There are communities that have been built here. Like you see, we are here today in this event because of the community and because we are coming to the hotel here. The community gathered and they came to have fun and play here. I think it's a very unique venue in particular because it's Jabal Akhdar. Now, we are playing on a higher altitude, so the ball is a little bit faster. That's kind of exciting for all of us to see what it's like to play at high altitude. Another thing, it's also very important for tourism to come and do such events in unique places like Jabal Akhdar.”
He added: “We're here to have fun. I am originally a tennis player. I used to represent Oman in the Davis Cup in the GCC. We have a lot of achievements, such as the GCC championships, international tour, and international tournaments. After my career in tennis, padel brought back the competition feeling again because it's an easier game. It's more age-friendly. As an athlete, it was a blessing in a way to keep competing in sports. It means that a player who knows tennis, it's easier for him to play this game. Yes, it's easier. That's an advantage that tennis players have in particular. I don't want to say it's a more high-skilled game. It's friendly for a tennis player to start. Now, as a tennis player, when they first start, the difference, I mean the rules are very close to tennis, but the only difference is the glass, the glass barrier surrounding the court.
“Tennis players, when they first move to padel, they struggle with the glass. They will need to get a lot of training and footwork coordination to get used to the rebound of the glass. If you're talking about ground strokes or volleys, it feels like home for tennis players. Of course, there's some variety in the shots that tennis players usually get used to very quickly.”
When asked about the future of this game in Oman, he said: “I think, like it started, it was booming all of a sudden. And that booming keeps continuing until today. A lot of clubs opened all over the country. You have from north to south of the country. And now you are here. So, padel is a game here to stay. It's getting popular across the world. The tournaments are being played more and more all over the court. And as I said, the number one thing for popularity, I think, is that it's a very friendly game and it's fun. It's a lot of fun to play.”
Top Omani woman tennis player Fatma Al Nabhani has been playing padel for the past two years. “I was a professional tennis player. I represented my country and won a lot of tournaments. So, I started playing padel almost two and a half years ago. We were invited to come and play today here. We're very excited, to be honest. It's a nice experience. It's our first time playing in a very high altitude padel. I've played tennis at a high altitude, but never in padel. So I'm excited, to be honest, and I'm happy that... I mean, I never expected that I would be playing padel in Jabal Akhdar.”
Fatma said that a lot of women in Muscat are interested in padel. “They play some for fun, some competitive. So, I mean, I'm sure a place like this, when women come to visit Jabal Akhdar, they would love to sometimes play in a different environment, which is in weather, and altitude. So, it's a nice experience.”
Fatma said that the game is gaining popularity and she hopes many professional tournaments will come up in the future.
Arsham, who came from Iran to Jabal Al Akhdar to play in the tournament, said: “The first time I tried this game, it was six years ago. I was living in Iran, I was playing tennis, and my friend's dad established the very first court in Iran. He introduced me to the game. The first time I tried it, I fell in love with this sport. I remember I was wearing jeans and sneakers, when I went to the court. I really loved it. And since then, I couldn't stop playing. And after a while, I just stopped playing tennis, and I just totally got into padel.
“And after a while, I was in the national team, so everything was just like a professional player. But overall, what I love about this game is the rallies. You know, it's longer than tennis, you always have a second chance with the class,” he said.
When asked about the more prize money in tennis, Arsham said: “ If you want to compare tennis and padel, they're like whole different sports. Because, this sport is new to the world. Like now, there's a lot of investors and investments into this sport during the past few years. Tennis is way older. It has like more character and everything, but padel is new, so we need to give time to it. But for sure, it's going to reach tennis level.
The Iranian player said that his Omani friend texted him last week, and told him about this event.
“I knew about the place, and I was really looking forward to coming. And this was a really good opportunity to visit the place, Jabal Akhdar. It was a pleasure playing with my friends, and being present in this perfect place.”
He said that he sees a bright future of this game overall, in the GCC, and especially in Oman. “I think it's useful, and it will help tourism as well. Especially for Oman, compared to other countries in the GCC, it has places such as this place, Salalah. There are a lot of attractions for tourism here and padel can help it develop as well. If you're going to have international tournaments in Oman, for sure it's going to be huge for tourism as well,” he concluded.
