We often get asked how long Atlas Tennis has been running trips, and while Atlas Tennis officially launched in 2023, the truth is that I have been running trips to Europe for junior players for quite a lot longer, beginning back in 2016 as a coach with the company Tennis Europe. 

In addition, between four years at the University of Rochester as a student-athlete and four years as a college tennis coach at Wesleyan University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, traveling with groups of young tennis players is a very familiar concept, and something I am passionate about—as I’ve seen first hand how impactful these experiences can be.

All of that experience, combined with the decades of tennis and travel experience our leadership team has as professional players, executives, business owners, and agents, is why we wanted to start our own project in the first place—rolling up as much of our personal connection to this concept and sharing it with others through Atlas.

As we think about all of our collective experience in this world of tennis travel and tennis camps of juniors, it’s amazing how much has changed, while some things have remained constant.

Looking back at some of my first trips to Europe with groups of high school tennis players, I didn’t even have data on my phone—a concept that feels very foreign now! I still have vivid memories of using an old Tom-Tom GPS system to navigate my way through the windy roads on the cliffs of the South of France.

Perhaps most memorably, having my car break down on the streets of Monte Carlo, flagging down help, calling a tow truck driver who spoke no English, and getting a replacement car remains one of the many travel experiences that has stuck with me!

A broken down car in Monte Carlo! One of the many memorable experiences through the years of travel through Europe for tennis

Even though technology has changed in so many ways, many of which have made international travel easier and more seamless, the novelty and value of competing in tennis tournaments in different countries is still just as special now as ever. 

Today, most of the tournaments our players compete in count for UTR, but even with the unavoidable presence of UTR, there is still a significant element of stepping out of your comfort zone when you play an event in a new country, on a different surface, with totally new people. 

On every trip I’ve ever led, I have seen how these experiences help our players grow!

Maybe the coolest thing about these summer tennis trips? The friendships that are built! I often speak to tennis players of all ages who went on a trip when they were juniors—maybe with Tennis Europe, through their high school or college team, or elsewhere—and in addition to helping their tennis develop, everyone speaks about how they are still in touch with the people they traveled with, whether it was last summer or 5, 10, or 20+ years ago!

If you’re looking for the best tennis summer camp experience, look beyond the tennis camps and tennis academies and consider a tennis trip with Atlas Tennis!