David Lloyd Leisure has invested £350,000 in six padel tennis courts at clubs in Chigwell, Essex and Bushey, Hertfordshire as it becomes the first nationwide operator to bring the sport to the UK.

The company has also appointed a coaching team, led by British number two Tom Murray, to further grow the tennis-squash hybrid, which is played by 10 million people worldwide and is especially popular in Spain and Latin America.

David Lloyd will also be an official partner of the pro-am British Padel Tour 2013, hosting matches at the Chigwell and Bushey clubs.

Product development director for the group, Hazel Geary, said: "We recognise the huge potential for padel here in the UK and our continued investment in facilities, programmes and a top coaching team demonstrates our commitment to being at the forefront of its development."