SOUTHAMPTON star James Chaudry saw his pickleball journey come full circle with a gold medal and a place in the history books.

He helped England become Champions of Europe at the inaugural DUPR European Pickleball Championships at his hometown club Southampton Tennis Centre.

The tournament saw England emerge victorious as the sport's first-ever European champions, with Chaudry securing a gold medal alongside Thaddea Lock in the Mixed Doubles Open with victory over Spain.

Chaudry said: “It’s so hard to explain right now. Really incredible matches from them and us and the crowd and everyone is involved in that so emotionally draining and so much fun to be part of. Emotions are all over the place.

"For me, I grew up in Southampton. I grew up in this tennis centre playing tennis so I saw a lot of people here in my youth and it was amazing to play in front of them and represent England at the same time."

Teammate Lock added: “It was so amazing to play in front of a home crowd like that. It’s probably the most atmosphere I’ve played a match with.

"I just want to say thank you so much to everyone for staying and watching and supporting. That support helps us on the court and it was super fun to be a part of.

Pickleball is a fast-growing sport in Europe having first started in the US in the 1960s, it is a hybrid racket sport that is popular for its accessibility for all ages and abilities.

Pickleball gets its name from its American founders, with the family game created in 1965 named after their pet dog Pickle.

The European Championships saw players compete in men’s, women’s and mixed doubles, across both the Open and Senior categories.

Individual medals were on offer in each of the disciplines, with the medal tallies also added up to crown England the overall Champions of Europe.

Chaudry added: “We’ve had a good time and it’s because of everyone in our team. The backroom staff, Pickleball England, everyone has contributed to these medals, it might be us with the medals around our necks but they belong to the whole team.

Lock said: “It’s an absolute honour to represent England and play for your country and we couldn’t really ask for anymore and to top it off with winning a gold medal. Our team has done an amazing job, it wasn’t just us."

Find out more information about the European Pickleball Championships by visiting www.europeanpickleballfederation.org