Seventeen-year-old British padel prodigy Ben Phillips is training under the guidance of national number one Christian Medina Murphy. The pair recently featured in an exhibition match at Manchester's Carbon Padel Club, where Phillips demonstrated his potential against top players. Phillips plans to relocate temporarily to Alicante, Spain, to further his development.
On January 12, at Manchester's Carbon Padel Club, GB under-18 number one Ben Phillips joined GB number one Christian Medina Murphy for a casual conversation before an exhibition match. Around 2pm, the 17-year-old from Nottingham held his own against Medina Murphy and British number three Louie Harris, earning frequent calls of “Shot, Ben!”—a mix of encouragement and light-hearted jabs from his elders.
The event, filmed for Channel 4, highlighted Phillips' rapid progress since switching from tennis just two or three years ago. Medina Murphy, ranked 118th in the world, praised his protégé's talent: “The level in the country is really nice to see, players like Ben improving that fast... He comes from tennis, he has a good background and he is now the best under-18.”
Phillips credits Medina Murphy as a key influence: “He’s a real mentor and role model for me. The way he lives, trains and acts off the court, I think he’s taken me under his wing a little bit.” To accelerate his growth, Phillips is moving to Alicante to train in Medina Murphy's group, despite visa hurdles preventing a permanent stay. He recently competed in FIP Bronze events in Mallorca and Valencia, reaching the semi-finals of the Promises event there, and upcoming tournaments in Madeira and Portugal alongside Jamie Lobo Wordsworth.
Supported by a GoFundMe campaign and sponsors including Raquex, the Padel Shack, and Skechers, Phillips aims to play two FIP events monthly over the next few years while balancing online schooling and learning Spanish. Medina Murphy sees broader potential: “We need more players like Ben in the GB team to try to fight against the toughest countries... with players like Ben and a few more that are coming we are going to have chances in the future.” Phillips will return to train at Rocks Lane in London between international stints.
