{"id":56700,"date":"2026-04-10T19:56:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T18:56:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/?p=56700"},"modified":"2026-04-10T19:56:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T18:56:23","slug":"prime-minister-robert-abela-inaugurates-the-national-tennis-center-in-pembroke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/10\/prime-minister-robert-abela-inaugurates-the-national-tennis-center-in-pembroke\/","title":{"rendered":"Prime Minister Robert Abela inaugurates the National Tennis Center in Pembroke"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>During the official inauguration of the National Tennis Center in Pembroke, Prime Minister Robert Abela described this project as another major sports investment in a discipline that had long required serious and adequate investment.<\/p>\n<p>With an investment of \u20ac2.8 million, the official opening of the National Tennis Center in Pembroke marks another important step in the Government&#8217;s work to continue strengthening sports infrastructure in our country. This project has not only transformed an abandoned site into a modern, high-level facility, but is also giving fresh momentum to the development of tennis in Malta.<\/p>\n<p>The project was carried out under the leadership of SportMalta, which worked closely with the Malta Tennis Padel Federation. This collaboration was crucial in ensuring that the facility meets the highest standards and addresses the needs of both athletes and the organizations involved in the development of tennis in Malta.<\/p>\n<p>The center includes six tennis courts equipped with an ITF-approved Greenset playing surface, similar to that used at the Australian Open, as well as high-quality LED lighting on each court. In addition, the facility offers adequate space for spectators. The center also includes various facilities, including a physiotherapy room, dedicated spaces for athletes, and offices for the Federation.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_56702\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-56702\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/PR260582d.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-56702\" src=\"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/PR260582d-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/PR260582d-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/PR260582d-150x100.jpg 150w, http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/PR260582d.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-56702\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">PM Robert Abela opens National Tennis Centre in Pembroke with Sports Minister Clifton Grima<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Prime Minister noted that in recent years the sport of tennis has made significant progress, among which are the results Malta has managed to achieve at the Games of the Small States of Europe. &#8220;It is enough to say that in the last two editions of these Games we won no less than ten medals in tennis, three of them gold,&#8221; said Dr. Abela.<\/p>\n<p>He explained how this investment continues to strengthen the national sports infrastructure and complements other projects such as the Basketball Pavilion at Ta&#8217; Qali, the athletics track in Marsa, the Marsa Sports Complex, as well as the Gozo Indoor Sports &amp; Aquatic Pavilion in Rabat, Gozo, which includes an Olympic-size swimming pool.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Abela also mentioned the work underway on other projects, including the first phase of the \u0126al Far Track, which is expected to be completed in the coming months. He stressed that these projects are being made possible thanks to our strong-performing economy.<\/p>\n<p>The Prime Minister also referred to various measures introduced by the Government to encourage a healthier lifestyle, including the six months free gym membership for youths and fiscal incentives for professional athletes.<\/p>\n<p>The Minister for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation, Clifton Grima, said that the National Tennis Center is a clear example of how an abandoned space can be transformed into a modern, high-level facility that truly makes a difference in the lives of athletes and the sporting community. &#8220;Through substantial investment and close collaboration with the Malta Tennis Padel Federation, we are giving our athletes the tools and infrastructure they deserve in order to develop and reach their potential,&#8221; Minister Grima said.<\/p>\n<p>He added that this project is not only creating a new space for tennis in Malta but is also demonstrating the Government&#8217;s commitment to continue investing in sport as a means of personal growth, health, and opportunities for present and future generations.<\/p>\n<p>The Chief Executive Officer of SportMalta, Mark Cutajar, said that SportMalta is proud to continue supporting the sports community with high-level facilities. He said this is another example of how a government entity works hand in hand with a federation for mutual benefit.<\/p>\n<p>The President of the Malta Tennis Padel Federation, Marc Gingell Littlejohn, described this investment as a historic step for the development of tennis and padel in Malta, with a state-of-the-art facility that became a reality thanks to the support of the Ministry through SportMalta.<\/p>\n<p>He explained that this center will serve as a key hub for the training of national athletes, while also creating opportunities for exchanges with foreign players and preparation for international tournaments. He added that the facility will also help clubs organize more tournaments and activities, while supporting initiatives in schools to identify new talent and promote the sport through joint work with the National Sports School.<\/p>\n<p><em>Photos: DOI\/OPM<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_56700\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"56700\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>During the official inauguration of the National Tennis Center in Pembroke, Prime Minister Robert Abela described this project as another major sports investment in a discipline that had long required serious and adequate investment. With an investment of \u20ac2.8 million, the official opening of the National Tennis Center in Pembroke marks another important step in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_56700\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"56700\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 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Lynch","author_link":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/author\/bernardlynch\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"During the official inauguration of the National Tennis Center in Pembroke, Prime Minister Robert Abela described this project as another major sports investment in a discipline that had long required serious and adequate investment. With an investment of \u20ac2.8 million, the official opening of the National Tennis Center in Pembroke marks another important step in&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56700","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56700"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56700\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56704,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56700\/revisions\/56704"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}