Life of a Pro: Overnight Tennis Camp in London, France, and the Netherlands
June 22 to July 14 (22 Days)
Itinerary:
Depart New York > London, UK > French Touch Academy (Montpellier, France) > Zeist, Netherlands (Amsterdam) > New York
Our Life of a Pro trip was designed in collaboration with a few former pro tennis players that truly lived this life, and our goal with this trip is to give our players a similar experience—getting a feel for the cycle of travel, training, and competing in new places every week. We tried to take the foundation of an overnight tennis camp that gives players tons of opportunities to play, and bring it over to Europe in an unbelievable setting for improvement.
We’ll start in the UK, where our host Barry has us set to compete against local players and other juniors that are also in the UK to train and compete. Barry has built a network of UTR tournaments for aspiring British pros, and has the connections and expertise to ensure our players get as many matches as possible during our time in the UK, with all of them counting for UTR.
We will also spend a day taking in one of the most high stakes days of tennis competition—the Wimbledon qualifying tournament. We’ll get a chance to see pros battle for a spot in the main draw of the most iconic tennis tournament in the world, while also hopefully seeing many of today’s top stars get in their final preparations on the practice courts before the main draw starts a few days later. In addition, while in the UK we’ll make time to sightsee in London, checking out sights like Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, and Covent Garden. This is a week that no other overnight tennis camp can replicate!
After our start in London, we fly to Montpellier in the south of France for a week of training and competing at the French Touch Academy, the home base for a number of pro players, including Elina Svitolina and Benoit Paire. Here, we’ll fully immerse ourselves at the academy, living, training, and competing with other players from around the world while also getting the chance to spend some time off-court at the beach swimming in the azure blue Mediterranean. Our week at the academy will also be an excellent chance to prepare before we head north to the Netherlands to take part in one of the country’s biggest tournaments
We’ll fly from Montpellier to Amsterdam and then settle in to the idyllic town of Zeist, home of the Zeister Tennis Club “Shot” and the Shot Open, one of the Dutch Tennis Federation’s largest events of the year that has been an annual fixture since 1945. Dutch junior players travel from around the country to participate, with many even camping nearby. The event features plenty of different draws based on level, age, and singles/doubles, meaning our players will be able to play a number of matches throughout the week.
Off the court, the tournament is also known for being one of the friendliest, most welcoming environments, with nightly events like barbecues and karaoke, and with the Dutch often eager to use their English skills, it will be a perfect atmosphere for making new friends. Think of it as a big tournament, but with the vibe of an overnight tennis camp mixed in. Later in the week, we’ll make a day trip to Amsterdam to see some of the city’s most famous landmarks and museums. We’ll conclude in Amsterdam with players having the option to either fly home, or stay another week and join another Atlas group for an additional week of competition at the Festina Open in Amsterdam.