The Best Tennis Academies in The World

* denotes we have a podcast interview with the academy owner 😀

I've spoken to many people about the Piatti Tennis Center and the one thing that is always say is the word "Family". Players who train there are made feel like family at Piatti, the environment seems fun and friendly but the intensity is high. It is based on the Italian Riviera between San Remo and Nice, so weather should be nice all year round.

Riccardo Piatti has been getting the most out of players since the late 1980's. He has worked with many past top Italian players getting into the top 20, as well as Ivan Ljubičić (ATP 954 - ATP 3), Richard Gasquet (ATP 31 - ATP 9), Milos Raonic (ATP 11 - ATP 3). He also briefly worked with Novak Djokovic and currently works with Borna Coric who at 22 years old has a ranking of ATP 13.

Their aim is to complete the preparation of professional athletes and young talents who approach a professional tennis career. They operate with a max of 2 players on court with 1 to 2 coaches. Many great such as Djokovic, Dimitrov, Wawrinka, Berdych, Cilic, Raonic and Zverev may be seen practising there throughout the year.

The estimated cost to train at the Piatti Tennis Center for 1 year €18500. They do not offer full board.

4 Courts in total on site with 2 with PlaySight technology.

Find out more at www.piattitenniscenter.it or at Instagram.com/piattitenniscenter

"Made in Germany" describes the quality that the Alexander Waske Tennis-University has been delivering since 2010.

Focused on individuality and intensity the German academy has been working with several champions like Kerber, Petkovic, Martic, Melzer, Haas, Berankis but they have also been successful building juniors from a young age. E.g Jonas Forejtek ( #1 ITF 2019, Junior AO and Wimbledon champion doubles, Junior US Open champion Singles), Karlis Ozolins (#6 ITF), Stefan Popovic (#124 ITF) Jule Niemeier, Sumit Nagal (Wimbledon Junior champion doubles) and more.

We had a great chat with Alexander on our podcast where he talks about the academy, players he works and has worked with as well as him giving advice to players, parents and coaches. You can listen to it below.

13 Courts in total

Find out more at www.tennis-university.com or at Instagram.com/tennis_university

Probably the most famous academy in the World alongside IMG, The Mouratoglou Academy has worked with best Junior players in the world to the best Pro players in the world. Founded in 1996 by Patrick Mouratoglou, the academy has grown to be an incredible tennis academy with impressive facilities, great coaches and a high level of players. Patrick and the Mouratoglou team has helped Serena Williams win countless Grand Slams and now with the up and coming Tsitsipas on the book, it wont be long before he gets his hands on a Slam with the help of Mouratoglou.

They acknowledge that “most of the kids are not going to be champions” and ensure life skills and access to US Universities is a priority. They send "60 players every year" to American Universities on tennis scholarships and our number 1 in France and probably Europe for this. (2)

Mouratoglou quoted me €38,000 to train with with full board for the year but there are many options available and you can see the full price list here. With high demand for places applicants, being selected to join their Academy is dependent on a number of factors including, but not limited to, motivation, general attitude, tennis level, academic level.

34 Courts in total

Find out more at www.mouratoglou.com or at Instagram.com/mouratoglou_tennis_academy

The Barcelona Tennis Academy is a small, family-oriented academy located in the seaside town of Castelldefels, home of football star Lionel Messi, just 15km from Barcelona, 10 minutes from the international airport and a 5-minute walk to the beach. Thanks to BTA’s small size, the approach to players’ development can be individualised to each player. Players are treated with personal attention. There is a very close relationship between coaches, players and parents. Knowing the players so well enables BTA to create for them individualised training programmes, tailored to their needs and ability. The academy’s priority is to help the players reach their full potential. The coaching at BTA is run by Director Raphael Maurer (Switzerland) and Head Coach Jordane Doble (France).

The Barcelona Tennis Academy offers a warm family atmosphere and is a great place to develop and grow as a young player thanks to the passion and dedication of the academy’s staff to help the children become better players and, most importantly, better individuals.

Raphael Maurer, BTA’s Director, was a top ranked junior in Switzerland, training, traveling and competing with players such as Roger Federer and Martina Hingis. He then played College Tennis in Florida, USA, where he was a 2-time All-American. Raphael coached some of the best junior players in America, Asia and Europe, developing an academy in Asia and now in Spain.

BTA’s Head Coach Jordane Doble is extremely dedicated and passionate about the game. Jordane was one of the best junior players in France. He then competed on the ATP Tour, winning 7 Future tournaments, playing against players such as Nadal, Tsonga and Monfils, reaching a highest ATP ranking of 385 in singles and 302 in doubles.

Yearly cost (10 month programme) is €24,500 which includes tennis and accommodation but not school. With school the total cost is €34,000.

22 Courts in total

Find out more at www.btatennis.com or at Instagram.com/barcelonatennisacademy

Rafa Nadal has put together a great tennis center in his home island of Manacor. Filled with 26 courts, padel courts, pool, international English school, Museum and much more, this is a place with serious inspiration. It's said to cost €56,000 (4) per year for tennis, school and accommodation.

They have a mixture of junior and adult programmes and cater for all levels and you can spend from 1 day there to 1 year.

26 Courts in total

Find out more at www.rafanadalacademy.com or at www.Instagram.com/rafanadalacademy

Good To Great is a Swedish Tennis Academy owned and run by former pro players Magnus Norman, Nicklas Kulti and Mikael Tillstrom. They call themselves a "Boutique Tennis Academy" (5) where spots are limited. The academy has 6 different programmes available depending on the commitment of the junior. With their full time elite programme, players train 9 - 16 times a week, over 6 days. Performance group training will take place three to four times per week and individual fitness programs are customised per student. (6)

Coaches follow players to tournaments and there is also an option of a personal trainer. At the academy the maximum player - coach ratio is 3-1. Facilities looks world class and they will soon be adding 7 new outdoor clay courts to their 7 indoor hard courts. They team with with an international school that understands the players need of flexibility and allows students to prepares them for college life as well as assisting them in finding a US college.

Their website does not list any prices.

Find out more at http://goodtogreat.se/en/ or at https://www.instagram.com/gtgtennisacademy

The Soto Tennis Academy is run by former pro and British no.1 doubles player Dan Kiernan who strongly believes in a team environment:individualised pathway approach. Players at STA get the benefits of being part of a big team, the support network, the fantastic environment but every programme is set in an individualised manner. They work tirelessly to ensure the day in day environment and opportunity is there for the player and their job is just to bring their ‘want’ and unconditional effort every day.

Some of my own friends who are pros have worked with Dan including James Cluskey and Pete Bothwell.

I was lucky to have Dan on our podcast and you can listen to the interview where Dan tells us all about the academy and makes for very useful info if you want to know more about it. You can also search for the episode in your favourite podcast by searching for Functional Tennis.

Schooling is provided and pricing starts at €25,000 per year.

Find out more at www.sototennis.com follow Soto on Instagram at or at Instagram.com/sototennis

Established nearly 40 years ago, the IMG Tennis Academy is the most well known Tennis Academy in the world. It has set the standard by which all academies are measured worldwide. They provide customised individual development plans and tournament schedules to set each athlete up for success to reach their peak potential.

They've trained the best players in the world since Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Jim Courier, Tommy Haas, Anna Kournikova, Tommy Haas, Monica Seles and more recently Kei Nishikori, Maria Sharapova, Ryan Harrison and many more. They've helped countless players commit to the highest ranked D1 college and universities in the States

For the most recent year, tuition ranges from $55,950 to $79,950 per year depending on age, boarding and grade of student-athlete (5)

55+ Courts in total

Find out more at https://www.imgacademy.com/boarding-school/athletics/tennis or at https://www.instagram.com/imgatennis/

18 Courts in total with 1 having Hawk Eye Technology installed.

Find out more at http://www.sport.be/kcsportsandhealthclub/nl/academie/kcacademie/englishversion/ or at https://www.instagram.com/kimclijstersacademy/

With over 42 years of world class tennis experience Nick Saviano knows a thing or two about tennis. He has helped train over 50 players who have gone on to full time careers in the ATP and WTA including Grand Slam winners and world #1's, Junior Wimbledon, US Open, French Open and Italian Open Champions, 24 USTA National Junior Champions, 8 Foreign National Junior Champions and more than 25 ITF Junior Champions, including Sunshine Cup, Orange Bowl and Eddie Herr winners. (7)

I got to speak to Nick for episode 47 of The Functional tennis Podcast where he tell us about the Academy, players he has worked with, his philosophy, advice for juniors, parents and coaches, the decision to go to play college tenis and alot more. Listen below. (Launching Tuesday 5th May 2020)

The academy offers many different types of packages to help suit your needs and have a maximum 4 to 1 player to coach ratio.

Prices for a full year (9 months) were $30500 without school tuition (7)

* The Acadmey will be moving location in 2020

28 courts in total

Find out more at https://savianotennis.com or at https://www.instagram.com/savianotennis

18 courts in total

Find out more at www.bttacademy.com or at https://www.instagram.com/BTT_Academy/

Founded in 2013 in Cape Town South Africa by Anthony and Dionne Harris with a dream to create an African Champion. There are mainly South African kids in the academy but there has been kids from Zimbabwe, USA, Germany, UK, Sweden and Kenya. This year (2019) 22 year old Lloyd Harris (not related) who has been at the academy since he was 14 moved into the Top 100.

They have established a foundation called match with the aim to make a tennis champ by helping kids from underprivileged backgrounds. They take them out of poor communities and coach them giving them hope in changing their lives as well as helping them turns their dreams into reality.

We had a lovely chat with Anthony on our podcast where he talks about his academy, players and and the foundation. Press the play button below.

Standard fees for the 12 month programme is $10350 excluding the cost of international travel to tournaments. There is no tuition provided.

4 courts in total

Find out more at anthonyharristennisacademy.com or at Instagram.com/anthonyharristennisacademy

The Impact Tennis Academy in Thailand is focused on being an Asian training base for ATP/WTA players , plus providing the necessary foundation for juniors to pursue their dream of becoming pro’s.

In an environment Focused on development, intensity and integrity. They only take 14 students at any time and everyone pays the same. There is a trial period required for all new players with a focus on work rate and attitude towards learning.

Being based in Thailand with lots of tournaments, low cost of living and a main airport close by makes it a great location to train.

Their Mission Statement is:

1. To provide tennis coaching for junior players to reach their goals and potential in an environment emphasising enjoyment, hard work and accurate guidance (technical, mental, physical, matchplay)
2. Accountability- honesty : players will know what they need to do and how to do it in order to reach their goals
3. To teach not only tennis but life/character lessons and develop not only athletes but people
4. To provide Atp/Wta touring pros with a world class Asian training base for them to use throughout the year

Estimated yearly costs are US$15,000 excluding accommodation, schooling and food.

13 courts in total

Find out more at www.impact10nis.com, Instagram.com/impacttennisacademy or at Facebook.com/IMPACTTennisAcademy