Catherine Rose: The Relentless Competitor Powering Britain’s Padel Rise

When Catherine Rose walked onto a padel court at the National Tennis Centre in late 2021, she thought she’d found a fun new hobby, not a new career. Fast-forward a few years and the London-born athlete is now Great Britain’s No. 2 women’s padel player and only the second British woman ever to break into the FIP world top 100, matching the historic milestone first set by Aimee Gibson.

Early days: from “hobby” to full-time pro

Catherine grew up steeped in sport, competing in high-level junior tennis before switching to rugby at university, so training hard and chasing performance is baked into her DNA. A friend introduced her to padel at the NTC; she loved it straight away but didn’t treat it seriously at first, playing occasionally and viewing it as a side activity. What changed everything was how quickly she saw progress—transferring her tennis skills to padel felt satisfying and addictive, and the steady improvement pulled her deeper into the sport.​

Within a couple of years she made a huge call: when the chance came to reduce her regular work and commit more to padel, she grabbed it and turned full-time professional in July 2024. That decision—backed by a clear work ethic and her love of competition—set the stage for her breakout 2025 season.​

Breakthrough season and top‑100 landmark

In 2025, Catherine didn’t just improve; she exploded onto the international scene. She started the year in dream fashion with back‑to‑back FIP Silver titles in Australia alongside GB No.1 Aimee Gibson, lifting both the Australian Padel Open and the Melbourne Game4Padel Open against strong seeded pairs. Those results were no one‑off. Over the season she reached the quarter-finals or better in 14 Cupra FIP Tour events, including multiple semi-finals and a final run in Qatar, showing remarkable consistency week after week.

The payoff came when a semi-final in Luxembourg pushed her nine spots up the rankings to world No. 95, making her the second Brit—after Gibson—to enter the FIP top 100. She described seeing the updated ranking as “a nice surprise”, admitting she’d been focusing more on performance than numbers, and credited the achievement to “a lot” of hard work plus the support of coaches, sponsors, and the LTA.

Playing style and partnerships

Catherine’s game blends athletic intensity with smart, structured padel. You can see her multi-sport background in the way she competes: physical, focused, and fully committed on every point. She trains at The Padel Hub in Epsom, and her padel idol is Agustín Tapia, a clue to the kind of explosive, creative padel she enjoys watching and emulating.​

On court, she has already formed effective partnerships with some of Britain’s best. She’s enjoyed major success with Aimee Gibson—those Australian titles were a cornerstone of both players’ ranking climbs—and has also teamed with British No.3 Tia Norton for deep runs, including a semi-final that contributed to her top‑100 breakthrough. Her growing experience across FIP Bronze, Rise, Promotion, Silver and even Gold events shows in the volume of results: quarter-finals in Westerbork and Lelystad, semi-finals in Tbilisi and the Dominican Republic, and strong showings from Qatar to China and Portugal.

Wearing the GB shirt

Catherine isn’t just building a solo career; she’s also becoming a key figure for Great Britain’s national teams. She has been selected to represent GB at events like the World Championship Qualifiers in Derby and helped the team reach the FIP Euro Padel Cup Final 8, underlining her value in high‑pressure international ties. For a player who only picked up a padel racket a few years ago, wearing the GB kit on major stages reflects just how fast she’s climbed.

Her presence strengthens Britain’s push to become a serious force in global padel—a key target of the LTA’s padel strategy, which aims to have at least two players in the FIP top 100 and ten in the top 200 by 2029. With Aimee Gibson and Catherine already ticking off that first milestone, the blueprint is clearly working.​

Support team, sponsors, and off‑court life

Behind Catherine’s rapid rise is a strong support network. She’s part of the LTA Padel Performance Pathway and the Pro Padel Scholarship Programme, which targets players with the potential to reach the world’s top 50 within four years, offering backing to travel, train, and compete internationally. She regularly thanks key sponsors such as R3 Sport, The Padel Hub, Vitamin Well, and Light Therapy London for giving her the resources and time to pursue a full-time professional career.

Off the court, Catherine is very much a Londoner. She lives in Southfields, has two older brothers, and enjoys simple everyday things—time with friends and family, walks, brunches, and good dinners—when she’s not travelling the tour. Her social media presence is growing too, with athlete management support from R3 Sport and kit partners like Bullpadel and The Padel Hub featuring prominently.

What to watch out for next

Catherine’s first big target—breaking into the top 100—is already ticked off, and now she’s talking about pushing on to the next level rather than dwelling on the milestone. With her current trajectory of deep runs on the FIP Tour, strong partnerships with fellow GB pros, and structured backing from the LTA and sponsors, a move towards the world’s top 50 over the coming seasons looks realistic rather than optimistic.

In many ways, Catherine is the perfect complement to Aimee Gibson in the story of British women’s padel: where Aimee was the first to break the ceiling, Catherine is proof that it wasn’t a one‑off. Together, they’re showing that British women can not only compete, but win, on the global padel stage—and Catherine Rose is only just getting started.