France and Spain: The Powerhouses of Tennis Training and Competition
June 22 to July 17 (25 Days)
Itinerary:
Depart New York > Sotogrande, Spain (Málaga) > South of France > Nantes, France > Paris > Return to New York
The Powerhouses trip brings players to two of the most iconic tennis nations in the world, Spain and France, for a trip full of red clay tennis training and plenty of competition against locals that will push our players to get better in each match. All players are welcome to apply, though the Powerhouses trip is geared towards our highest level players.
We’ll start by flying to Málaga, Spain, home of the Davis Cup finals and beautifully situated on the Mediterranean coast along the Spanish Costa Del Sol. We’ll drive down the coast past Marbella, where Novak Djokovic often trains, and head to Sotogrande and the Soto Tennis Academy, our home for week one of the trip. We’ll be hosted by Director Dan Kiernan, a former #1 ranked British doubles player and current coach of two 2023 US Open Champions, Haari Heliovaara (mixed doubles) and Gaby Dabrowski (women’s doubles). Dan also hosts the Control the Controllables podcast, one of the best tennis podcasts out there. At Soto, we’ll have plenty of time to adjust to the warm, sunny weather and red clay with daily tennis training and plenty of match play opportunities as well. As we adjust, we will compete against the local players at the club in a combination of individual and team matches, with matches counting towards UTR. We’ll also find time to enjoy the area off-court, with plenty of beach time and a day trip to nearby Gibraltar, home of the famous Rock of Gibraltar, Moorish Castle, wild monkeys, and views across the strait to Morocco.
After our week in Spain, we’ll head north to France, where the French Tennis Federation’s tournament system is unparalleled as the best in the world, with countless tournaments at clubs across the country for players of all ages and levels. We’ll start in the south for our first week, enjoying the beauty of the French Riviera before heading north for another week where we will be based in the historic city of Nantes, giving players a chance to get a feel for some of the different regions in one of the most beautiful and diverse countries on earth. Players will get the chance to play at least three tournament matches each week in addition to lots of tennis training, with plenty of more matches depending on how they advance.
After two solid weeks in France, we’ll finish our trip in Paris with a couple of days of practice along with sightseeing. We’ll also get a chance to soak in the energy around the Olympic Games, which begin in Paris just a week later. Among the sights we’ll see are the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame Cathedral, and much more. And of course, we’ll make sure to get our fix of the legendary Parisian cuisine—plenty of croissants, baguettes, crepes, and maybe even some escargot.