```zS3HK-xwkOM```

**Stan:** Ok, we have João Cunha e Silva with us, welcome João.

**João:** Hello.

**Stan:** I'm happy I have you here as Cunha e Silva Academy, which you are the director of, will be our new partnering academy. Located in Portugal, close to Lisbon. So João, why don't you tell us a bit more about your tennis career, how you began with coaching and how did you get to start your own academy?

**João:** Hello, it's my pleasure to be here. So things went quite naturally. I was a professional tennis player until the year 2000 when my daughter was born. So I decided with the family that after big injury that I had also on my right knee with three surgeries. After that there was a nice time to finish and start a new life as a coach in our academy. So I was number one junior in the world in 1985. I played 17 years as a professional tennis player. I was 108th as the best singles ranking, six years on the top 120, six years top 100 doubles ATP player reaching 72nd place. 

![landscape; João Cunha e Silva, the Director and Head Coach of the academy.;Cunha e Silva Tennis Academy](/uploads/ACA_JCS_Joao_Cunha_e_Silva_5c74882b60.jpg)

So then I started here at Oeiras, Portugal in the year 2000. Since then, well, many things have... many good things have happened. We have been helping in performing many Portuguese and foreign players. Three of them (two boys, one girl) top 100, many many many TOP 200 and several ones with very good results on the junior circuit too. So well, we are in a good cycle again. Also during 2008 to 2012 [I was] supervising a second team. I was director of the High Performance Center here in Portugal and now I'm fully, 100% dedicated here at Oeiras and that's it. We are helping many young players. Again, we're [focused] onto professionals, some of them come and go. And I'm full time here.

**Stan:** Nice! So why don't you say more about your academy? What facilities do you have, courts and everything around? How many coaches are in your team and yeah, what daily life in the academy looks like.

**João:** Sure, so our headquarters, as I said, we are here at Oeiras [Lisbon]. We are about 5 minutes from the sea. Unbelievable, nice area. We have the tennis structure with 11 courts, 7 are just for the academy. We have... We are the only club in Portugal - actually the only structure - to have the three surfaces available, so we have very nice clay courts, synthetic grass - 3 courts - and the 2 GreenSet. So we have a gym inside so we have everything ready to perform at a high level and any level of normal tennis school. We have almost 300 general players around the 35 at the Competition Center, starting at 10 years old until the professionalism. And I have seven more coaches working with me. Four of them are just on the Competition Center, the other three on the standard tennis school, one more with mini tennis. 

![landscape; One of the nicest centre courts you can play in Portugal.;Cunha e Silva Tennis Academy](/uploads/ACA_JCS_centre_court_51d8319fb2.jpg)

So yeah, but at the end this is the team and well, a standard day at the competition center is with the practice from... tennis practice from 9am to 11am minimum, they can go [even] more. Then from 3pm to 5pm with the fitness coach with them between or after the afternoon session. Most times it makes sense, [but the fitness] can be before 9. But this is very individual of course, and well then we have several tennis classes for everybody and also for the youngsters. We also have sessions at the Competition Center from 5 to 7 and from 7 to 9 in the evening.

**Stan:** Very good. And how your personal day looks like, are you most of the time on the court with competition players or are you overseeing all the players around? Of course you as director, you have many administrative things to do, so how do you combine [it]?

**João:** Oh, I have many hours. I'm almost 8 hours a day on court actually. But I pass around 13 to 14 hours at the academy. So the other part of the day of course is in the office. I have a person almost full time with me. My wife is also in the office, so of course it's a big help. And yeah, I like to be on court. So I supervise the things, but most part of the day, between 6 and 8 hours per day, [I'm training] on court too.

**Stan:** That's quite a portion of work and also of coaching. You spoke about the number of players in your academy, what's the structure of the players? You mentioned from 10 years on, even like mini tennis. How many kids do you have in different categories and how many of them are Portuguese? How many of them are international? Do you have some kind of percentage for us?

**João:** Well, we have many of both, either Portuguese and foreigners. Actually a lot of foreigners are coming to visit us, but also to live in Portugal. We have Russians, we have Japanese, we have English, we have Swiss [players], we have many people, not just kids. Also players from 16 years old up. We have an Australian professional player and the kids coming and going, players sometimes staying with us for several weeks or months. 

![landscape; Pedro Sousa who reached highest rank of 99 ATP , is one of the players the academy helped in their career.;Cunha e Silva Tennis Academy](/uploads/ACA_JCS_Pedro_Sousa_1f447e7687.jpg)

For example this year before the French Open, Wimbledon, we had Luca Udvardy [from Hungary], the girl that was runner-up later in the Wimbledon Junior tournament. Her sister, for example, Panna, was before the pandemia working with us for a bit while, so she is now [ranked] 70 something in the world, she just won the [WTA] 125 in Buenos Aires. And well, sometimes many players pass here to practice with us. And of course we have many Portuguese regular players of good level, as I was saying, starting with 10 years old, [then] under 12. We have some good kids from National Team U16, too. So, that's our reality.

**Stan:** Ok, nice. So what keeps you going in your daily work with the young players? What is your motivation you are trying to give also to your coaching team and what would be the biggest asset and benefit of your academy if you can compare it with other academies or clubs? What do you think is the highlight of your academy in terms of facilities, in terms of coaching team? What would you say?

**João:** Well, for sure three or four things that make the difference. First of all is to have a person like myself on court daily, working and devoted to the players with big motivation because it's something that I like to do very much. I've helped many players but I'm still very devoted and very motivated to... the passion is [still] big and I think everybody feels and recognizes once they are over here. 

A second one is that all the team that works with me were ex players, so everybody [is] quite young but very ambitious and very devoted. [We have] very good sparring partners too, that they really know about the circuit they played themselves, they have been working with me for years. Almost all of them were my players before. And so there is a very good empathy between us and the methodology is respected by everybody. So this is very important. 

The location... it's unbelievable and once you are here you understand what I'm speaking about. We are 20 minutes far from the Lisbon airport, [which is] actually in the middle of Lisbon Town. And [also close to] the very recognized area historically in Cascais. So, as I said before, [we are located] about 5 minutes drive from the sea, it's 20 minutes walking distance, so it's [pretty] unbelievable. 

![landscape; Beaches are just a couple of minutes away from the courts. Perfect location for year-round training.;Cunha e Silva Tennis Academy](/uploads/ACA_JCS_seaside_a29ed19ca0.jpg)

And last but not the least, the relationship between the cost and the quality of work. I think it speaks by itself and once... everybody says that sometimes they don't know Portugal yet that well but once they come, once the players are here, everybody says that the [price-performance] ratio is very good.

**Stan:** Perfect, I think it was a great introduction of your academy. I thank you very much for your time and I'm looking forward to our collaboration.

João :
My pleasure. Thank you.

**Stan:**  Thank you.




João Cunha e Silva talked in our podcast about the development of his tennis academy in Lisbon, Portugal. He shared what makes his facility unique for professional players. We learned that four things are standing out: 1) Devotion of him as a Head Coach, 2) Empathy between the coaching team and players, 3) Beautiful location by the sea and 4) Very good price-to-performance ratio in comparison to other countries. 

João Cunha e Silva talked in our podcast about the development of his tennis academy in Lisbon, Portugal. He shared what makes his facility unique for professional players.

Devotion, empathy, location and price.§Why train in Portugal?

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```7GEacjMVjzs```

**Stan:** Okay, so here we are with Massimiliano, the father of Nicole, who's training with [Nargiso Tennis Academy](https://www.tennis-academies.com/partners/nargiso-tennis-academy) here in Italy. So I wanted to ask a couple of questions about his experience and how he got to this place. So, hello Massimiliano.

**Massimiliano:** Hello.

**Stan:** It was nice to meet you here and just tell us how you met with Diego Nargiso and his team and how you got to training here?

**Massimiliano:** Likewise, it is nice to meet you. Basically we met with Nargiso at the Tennis Club that we stay in most of the time in Bologna, Italy. He had an exchange program with his Academy in my Tennis Club and I really liked the way he was operating. And I talked to him and we discussed "Can I come over to your Academy?" and that's how we started about 3 and a half years ago. Of course I knew of Diego as a player. I mean, he's a little bit younger than me, he's an Italian legend and he is a TV commentator. I always appreciated his view of tennis and I felt very confident and we started and it took off very well. And Nicole loves him, which is very important and so do I. And that's how we started.

**Stan:** Okay, so Nicole is now 14 years old?

**Massimiliano:** Nicole is now 14 years old. We come to the Academy about 10 weeks per year because we live in different places and so we cannot be here full time. So what we usually do is, we come for a week and then for the next month and half I train my... I'm also a tennis instructor, so I train my daughter with the same program we agreed with Diego and then we come back, we reassess and we move on step by step like this.

**Stan:** Ok so you are here full time coach and then here you are, you have the support of another coach who has a big experience?

**Massimiliano:** Yes, because Diego, of course, he's been there, done that. He was an ATP player for many years. He trained the professional players. Both WTA and the ATP. And so of course, he has seen it all and he knows how to build up a professional player. So that's why we're here.

![portrait; Diego Nargiso is helping Nicole to achieve her dream of a professional career on the WTA Tour. ;Nargiso Tennis Academy](/uploads/ACA_DNA_Nicole_with_trophies_30cdd46e0b.jpeg)

**Stan:** Ok. And what about your goals with Nicole? Do you go step by step or are you already dreaming about Wimbledon and something like that?

**Massimiliano:** No, of course we go step by step because it's good to have a cautious approach, but the purpose is professional [career], so we aim to try a professional career and we will see where it goes, but at the minimum I would say another option would be American University for example, where she could play in a university team we if we don't achieve the WTA. But let's Plan B. Plan A is really to try to make it there, step by step, it is very early. Only 14 years old is way too early to speak about this, yes.

**Stan:** Okay, and you mentioned it has clicked between Diego and his team and your daughter, Nicole. Above that, what you like about this place and about the team here. What do you appreciate the most?

**Massimiliano:** Well, many things. First of all, technical competence is very important. There is also a very good atmosphere. It is very friendly. You know, both the players and the coaches seem to have a very good chemistry, so it helps a lot because enthusiasm is a key word in tennis and also the location is very nice, so the combination is very satisfactory.

![landscape; It's not only about tennis drills. Here Diego working with on coordination based on her dominant eye. ;Nargiso Tennis Academy](/uploads/ACA_DNA_Nicole_excercise_c9d48d82de.jpg)

**Stan:** Okay, thank you very much Massimiliano and good luck for your future adventurers in tennis, and I hope we see each other during the next week here in the academy.

**Massimiliano:** So do I.

**Stan:** Thank you very much.


During our visit in the Nargiso Tennis Academy we met with Max Ballotta, the father of 14 year old Nicole who is training here part-time around 10 weeks a year. Max shared with us how appreciative he is of Diego Nargiso's tennis knowledge, technical competence and the chemistry between the coaches and players in his academy. Plan A? "The purpose is professional career", says Max. 

Nicole Ballotta aims to become a professional WTA player and is coached by Diego Nargiso in his tennis academy near Como, Italy.

Diego Nargiso knows how to build up a professional player.§Interview with Max Ballotta. 

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![landscape; Jakub watching the match.;TA's personal library](/uploads/BLG_US_Open_Arthur_Ashe_Stadium_a9d7051aee.jpeg)

## A stadium like no other. 

**Arthur Ashe stadium** is famous for  its capacity–23,771– making it by far the largest tennis venue on the planet. It's a true must do experience  for any tennis fan. Wherever you sit, whoever you watch, you'll enjoy watching every second of it; surrounded by people cheering and screaming, you'll hear all that and be part of it, like we were.

![portrait; Arthur Ashe stadium view.;TA's personal library](/uploads/BLG_US_Open_Arthur_Ashe_Stadium_viewpoint_7334df3d34.jpeg)

## Believe it or not, “NextGen” is finally here. 

It was inevitable. Guys like Federer, Nadal or Djokovic can’t play forever. In fact, Roger recently [retired](https://www.eurosport.com/tennis/laver-cup/2022/roger-federer-retirement-its-exactly-what-i-hoped-for-swiss-star-on-perfect-journey-coming-to-an-end_sto9157825/story.shtml), so the game is left with only 2 of those stars now. The US Open was the slam were the Next Gen takeover was most likely, the only tournament which “The Big 3” haven't won in the last 3 years. This year it was clear after the fourth round, that it was going to be the same situation. Nadal was out and so some of the next generation players had a chance to win the trophy. For the eventual finalists, Alcaraz and Ruud, the stakes were even greater–in the final, both of them were also fighting to be world n.1. 

![landscape; Carlos Alcaraz, the winner of US Open 2022.;usopen.org](/uploads/BLG_US_Open_Carlos_Alcaraz_a6aa5d064e.jpg)

## 5 set beast and new world n.1

We are talking about Carloz Alcaraz of course. We had a chance to see his quarter final match against Marin Cilic live. What a match it was–5 sets, finished at 2 a.m(not easy for our first day in the U.S.A. after coming from European time zones). , While this was a pretty good match for Alcaraz at the Open, better ones were yet to come. In his next match, he defeated home player Tiafoe in another long five set match, and then, in the final, he beat Ruud in four sets to win his first slam trophy and become the ATP’s world No.1.

![landscape; Practise courts.;TA's personal library](/uploads/BLG_US_Open_practise_courts_0c8dd4bd41.jpeg)

## What about us? Are we expanding?

You might be thinking we’re branching out into tournament coverage, No, not yet. It may look like we came to the U.S.A. to expand our partnerships, but the truth is that we just came to enjoy this beautiful tournament like any other spectator there. 

But who knows? We’d like to take tennis-academies.com to all four corners of the globe one day, so it's definitely worth staying tuned with us and see where we go next.










tennisacademy

From time to time we visit major world tennis events such as ATP/WTA or ITF tournaments. This time, we made it for the final Grand Slam of the 2022 season,

Unforgettable experience live from Flushing meadows

US Open live! Watching Alcaraz’s first slam win courtside!

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Like any great trip, this one had its interesting surprises. First, **Yeunji played on Clay for the very first time** in her life and she got to see something new – how differently the ball bounces on Clay compared to hard courts. 

Another eye-opener for Yuenji was seeing her coaches hit the ball so hard and fast. Yeunji found it intense and tough, but this kind of professional training provided by the [Nargiso Tennis Academy](https://www.tennis-academies.com/partners/nargiso-tennis-academy) was what she’d traveled all that way for, and she’d go back again for more.

![landscape; Yeunji enjoying her tennis session.;Yeunji's personal library](/uploads/T_A_News_yeunji_title_98ae0d7663.jpg)

**Yeunji’s trip wasn’t just about playing tennis** and learning new things on Italy’s best Clay courts. She also had a fun, new experience in another European city, London, which was just a two-hour flight away. This time the fun she had was not on a tennis court. It was at a **Lady Gaga concert** she was taken to by her close friend. Yuenji didn’t know much about Lady Gaga’s music before going to the concert, but after enjoying the star’s performance and the great atmosphere, she’s a fan. 

![landscape; Lady Gaga concert in London.;Yeunji's personal library](/uploads/BLG_Yeunji_Ma_London_Lady_Gaga_34b3a3a9aa.jpeg)

After London, there was a perfect end to Yeunji’s trip: a couple of days of **relaxing at Lake Como**, Italy. She swam in lakes at the foot of the Alps and took in some of its beautiful views. After an action-packed week in Europe, Yeunji got some well-earned rest and some time to reflect on the tennis trip of a lifetime. 

![portrait; Yeunji overseeing lake Como.;Yeunji's personal library](/uploads/BLG_Yeunji_Ma_Lake_Como_d1685c4797.jpeg)

![landscape; Lake Como viewpoint .;Yeunji's personal library](/uploads/BLG_Yeunji_Ma_Lake_Como_viewpoint_84513cfa28.jpeg)




lakecomo

nargisotennisacademy

ladygagaconcert

Yeunji Ma only took up tennis two years ago, at the age of 28, and, as she learned to play, she dreamed of one-day training at one of Europe’s tennis academies

Visiting London and Lake Como, she enjoyed the trip to the fullest. 

European Clay courts can be a surprise.§ From Cambodia to Italy and London.

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*Original article was published in Czech language on [iDnes.cz/SPORT](https://www.idnes.cz/sport/tenis/robert-aparin-alaoui-ukrajina-utek-pribeh-utociste-praha.A220325_195848_tenis_ten).*

He stands behind the scenes of the hall at the Invalidovna in Prague and talks in a singing voice. He is going through a terrible time. However, even after depressing sentences, he often laughs. She describes, for example, how she was worried about her husband, lawyer Igor, who was late following his closest relatives from Ukraine to the Czech Republic.

*"He drove alone from Luck, so I tell him: Don't fall asleep! And he reassured me: Don't worry, I'm taking your mom's cats. They won't let me sleep. They're going to drive me crazy!”*

Or he explains why he's not standing by the court right now, where his son is honing his strokes with a coach from the [Pliskova Tennis Academy](https://www.tennis-academies.com/partners/pliskova-tennis-academy).

*“Robert is unnerved by my presence, so I'm forbidden to look at him! During matches, I try to find some loophole to watch him, but he usually senses it somehow and starts looking around for where I'm hiding.'*

Robert is shy. A black-haired, slim boy in a black T-shirt and black shorts looks scared among strangers. He apologizes for the interview. He doesn't even want to talk to reporters from iDNES Premium in Ukrainian. Naturally, we do not insist.

![landscape; Robert hitting forehands in one of his first training lessons in Prague. ;iDnes.cz](/uploads/BLG_Robert_Alaoui_Forehand2_f597713cf7.png)

However, whenever his mother tries to give him advice on how to deal with exchange situations, she retorts: *"If you're so smart, try it yourself!"*

## Gasoline for children's savings
Mrs. Nadia now lives in a two-room hotel apartment with her mother, husband, son Robert, daughter Erika (13) and the aforementioned two cats. He thanks the Czech benefactors and apologizes for the worries and expenses incurred by their escape from Russian barbarism.

She never thought that one morning she would be woken up by a phone call from her mother in Lutsk: *"The war has started."*

Fear. Urgent packing. A few pieces of clothing. Tennis bag. Some food and drink. Escape from Kiev on a congested highway.* “I found that I didn't have cash, so I couldn't fill up. There were terrible queues at ATMs. Fortunately, Erika and Robert took their savings, so I was able to pay for the gas thanks to them."*

They plowed through the 130-kilometer section in the direction of Zhytomyr for nine hours. They were frightened by the moving tanks. Not long after they crossed the bridge near Stoyanka, the Ukrainians blew it up in order to make it difficult for the enemy to advance to Kiev.

Weary days in Luck followed. Sleepless nights, alarms, survival, shock, hopelessness, rage at the Russian tyrant. *"I felt like a zombie. Neither alive nor dead,"* described Nadia Alaoui.

Then she took her cell phone, came across *tennis-academies.com* on the Internet and wrote what happened.

She cheered when Stan, the founder of the portal, which otherwise provides young players and their parents with training programs in European tennis academies, answered.

The event started, during which Stan teamed up with Ondřej Dohnal, the director of the Pliskova Tennis Academy. With the contribution of Karolína and Kristýna sisters, they arranged free training for Robert, as well as accommodation and meals for the family.

![landscape; Thanks to Stan's intervention, Robert and Nadia arrived well and safe to the Pliskova Tennis Academy. ;iDnes.cz](/uploads/BLG_Robert_Alaoui_With_mom_and_Stan_8ff1e7b67b.png)

*"Ondřej even wanted to move out and accommodate them at his home, so I intervened and arranged a hotel,"* says Kristýna Plíšková. Watching the news from Ukraine makes her feel anxious.

She helps those in need in various ways, even in her eighth month of pregnancy she came twice to watch Robert's training, which Mrs. Naďa greatly appreciates: *"She offered to call us if we needed anything."*

One would say: dull pounding on a yellow balloon. However, tennis played a magical role in the story of Robert and his relatives.

## Prague? Aren't you crazy?
Nadia Alaoui continues to teach while staying in Prague. Anyone in Ukraine can join her online classes. He sends his entire salary to the army. He still remembers the first time five-year-old Robert saw a plastic rocket in a shop window.

*"You have a ball, you can play football!"* she wandered into him.

But the boy was not fooled. He got his way. And he never gave up his passion. He often played broadcasts of ATP and WTA events on the TV in the living room. He joined school and youth teams in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Lviv and Irpina.

*"He plays well for what he's been through,"* praised Kristýna Plíšková.

*"At first he was a little unsure in an unfamiliar environment, but he is gradually improving. He feels the best on the court, he forgets all his troubles. We will try to arrange a start for him in some tournament,"* says Stan.

![landscape; Robert is adapting quickly to his new training environment. ;iDnes.cz](/uploads/BLG_Robert_Alaoui_With_coach_7ce1c80dce.png)

He surprised Robert's mother with his message at the beginning of March. But she made up her mind immediately.

We are going.

*"Everyone wondered where we were going. They asked me: Aren't you crazy? Are you sure you are doing well? And I answered: Yes, I am. Everything will be fine... I'm just like that, I trust people."*

After twenty-five hours of driving, they arrived in Prague. Until now, they still do not fully understand what is happening in their homeland. They have no idea what awaits them.

*"I don't know at all why they attacked us,"* wonders Nadia Alaoui. *"I never had a problem with Russians. It was normal for one person to speak Ukrainian and the other Russian in a conversation. We understand."*

*"We don't have all the connections yet. We don't realize, for example, that we may never be able to return home. We don't know if our apartment will exist.'*

Robert's tennis also keeps the family in at least somewhat normal operation. *"I'm glad that thanks to sports people from Ukraine can get to safety,"* says Stan. *"We received calls from other applicants for help. They headed to Spain, Slovakia or France. So hopefully these sad stories will come to a happy end in an unfortunate time."*

**Source**: [www.idnes.cz/sport/tenis/robert-aparin-alaoui-ukrajina-utek-pribeh-utociste-praha.A220325_195848_tenis_ten](https://www.idnes.cz/sport/tenis/robert-aparin-alaoui-ukrajina-utek-pribeh-utociste-praha.A220325_195848_tenis_ten)

![landscape; The whole family is grateful for the chance in the Czech Republic, but they sincerely hope that they will be able to return to their homeland. To Ukraine. ;iDnes.cz](/uploads/BLG_Robert_Alaoui_Family_052bf6ff67.png)


prague

pliskovatennisacademy

ukraine

When the coronavirus pandemic imprisoned him in quarantine last year and he was not allowed to go to the court, he at least hit the balls against the wall at home. "One day without tennis means disaster for him," says his mother, Nadia, a French teacher.

Robert Aparin Alaoui: Escape from War. Tennis saves.

Escape from war. Tennis saves.§ The boy was also helped by the Plíšková sisters.

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```K_AScKN3k2U```

**Stan (tennis-academies.com):** I'm here with Cédric Nouvel, the director of [HDN Academy in France](https://www.tennis-academies.com/partners/hdn-academy). Hello, Cédric. Welcome.

**Cédric (HDN Academy):** Hi. Hello.

**Stan:** I  invited you here, to know a bit more about you. About your tennis career and coaching career. And also about your activities in the academy. So why don't you introduce yourself, a bit, your history in tennis, and what  you have done as a player, as a coach. It would be nice to hear from you.

**Cédric:** Okay. The first part of my tennis career, I was a player. And as we say in France, because of the French ranking, I was a good national player. I've been on the tour and my best ATP ranking was 683. But it was a long time ago. I'm 59, so at that time there were less players than now. But I was a decent player then.

![portrait; Cedric's highest ATP ranking as a player was 683. ;HDN Academy](/uploads/BLG_Cedric_Nouvel_player_675ece8b1d.jpg)

I started  to be a coach when I was around 20, mainly in Nîmes in the south of France and I had a lot of young players getting on the tour. I had some players ranked between 200 and 800 on WTA or ATP and my main player who I coached for 20 years, my main story as a coach, was with Virginie Razzano. I started to work with Virginie when she was seven. She was living in Nîmes. And we worked together for 20 years, so 7 to 27. And I was with her at her best WTA ranking. She was number 15 in the world. 

So, I was on the tour with her for many years. Then, I had this academy in the south of France, where we built programs to help young players. We have a tennis club…

**Stan:** Sorry, That's what I wanted to ask as my next question. How did you  go from WTA coaching to having your own academy? What was the idea behind that?

**Cédric:** For me, it was… the two stories started together. Virginie was a player in the academy so I was on tour with her and working at the academy at the same time.

![portrait; Cedric led Virginie Razzano to No. 15 WTA. ;HDN Academy](/uploads/BLG_Cedric_Nouvel_Cedric_with_Vriginie_Razzano_5afc6b3fb2.jpg)

But my main objective in life as a coach was to work more in an academy to help young players and to work with the players between 10 to 20 when they want to reach the tour. 

So, I really tried to build something in the academy. I had the chance to have a really nice place to do that. A lot of courts, covered courts, fitness area. We have rooms, we have a little school inside the academy. So we have built programs with the school and tennis practice in the same place at the same time. So, we have a lot of results with that, mainly in tennis, but also with the school, which is very important for me.

**Stan:** And the players coming to HDN Academy, what can they expect, apart from having everything in one place, from the tennis training and also regarding the atmosphere in the academy?  Are you like a big academy or rather a smaller to mid-sized family academy?

**Cédric:** Uh, if we are looking at the size of the place, it's quite a big academy because we have 25 tennis courts. So the place is quite important. But then when somebody asks me and tells me, please, Cédric, can you tell me the difference between you and the other kind of academy, like Mouratoglou or All In Academy in France? And I always say, when the pupils come, they have the same place, high level quality, but also a very family-like atmosphere. 

![landscape; HDN Academy is like a big tennis family. ;HDN Academy](/uploads/BLG_Cedric_Nouvel_students_f3004d31d8.jpg)

A lot of our coaches who have been with us were in the tennis studies programs, became coaches in the academy, and were players before. So, really the coaches and people who work with us have been here for a long time. And so this is why probably there is this family atmosphere around the academy. So we have the two spirits, high level-excellence and a family one.

**Stan:** Trying to combine both, right?

**Cédric:** Yeah.

**Stan:** That's true. What is your main achievement with the academy, not just in terms of ranking or your players' success at  tournaments, but  in terms of development of the academy?

**Cédric:** If I'm speaking about the players, when we get players in the academy, the main objective is to help them understand that we are looking to build a life project. Meaning that however you play tennis, you must have something to bring with you when you leave the academy. For some of them, it will be playing on the tour, but not a lot of them because it's very hard. Then, we are also able to find scholarships for young players who want to go to university in the US. We are also working with business schools who specialize in sports business. And we also have some players who want to become coaches, be it fitness coaches or tennis coaches. 

![landscape; Some of the past players have become coaches in the academy. ;HDN Academy](/uploads/BLG_Cedric_Nouvel_HDN_Team_e19062ec87.jpg)

So, we are following all kinds of projects inside the academy, with the young coming first. We have around 40 full time players and we really want to be able to build a bridge between tennis studies - an important part of our young players’ lives -  to their life projects in the future.

**Stan:** And is this kind of program open just for French players, or do you also have international players in your academy?

**Cédric:** At this time, we have mainly French players. Something like 80, 85% of our players are French. And, as for our school system, the school is inside the academy, with face to face teaching and it is the French system. But we also can build programs with online schools in English for international players.

**Stan:** Great. And what kind of short and long term programs does your academy offer? You mentioned studies. So can you describe a bit more your short term options and also annual studies and training?

**Cédric:** Yes, you can have both. I mean, really, you can have two kinds of programs, the short term programs that we see, for example, during the summer , what we call summer camps, which can be between around one week to one month. This is mainly what the players are choosing. 

We really try to have programs for every kind of player. But probably the main programs and the one which makes the difference in our academy is the short term programs with both practice and tournaments, because we are building a program where the competitions, the tournaments is very important because we are trying to get the information from the competitions, from the matches to organize and to help the players to improve during the practice. And this is really a very nice program which the young players like and love a lot. 

```5L_Q9Gs-JYU```

And then we have long term programs that can be for players  between 10 to 18 or 19 years old, programs with studying and tennis practice inside the academy. And we also have players who play only tennis. They stopped the school for one year or two and they try to reach the Tour. They are good players. So we are practicing with them, helping them to improve and also helping them to get their first points and to start on the Tour.

**Stan:** Okay. Sounds interesting. And because I know you are quite a busy man, I would like to thank you for your time. And my last question would be, what is your usual day, if ever there is any kind of  usual day for you, or is every day different?

**Cédric:** Yes, there is not a usual day because we are HDN. :-) I mean, like we tell the players on the courts, you have to react appropriately to what the day offers you. I mean, adaptation. We say adaptation for the players, It's also an adaptation for me. 

But what we can say is, I'm a lucky man because my day is not always the same. I'm working with coaches who love tennis. I'm working with players who love tennis. And my work is really made up of a lot of things. I mean, I'm on the court because I'm the coach at that moment. Also, I'm at the office managing the team and trying to find new solutions. So it's very different every day. And this is why this is a very interesting job.

**Stan:** Okay. Sounds great. Thank you for your time. And yeah, happy to hear from you like this. I hope it will help other players to know a bit more about your academy and how you do things there.

**Cédric:** You're welcome. Bye bye.

![landscape; Cedric has been always able to combine running the academy and coaching.;HDN Academy](/uploads/BLG_Cedric_Nouvel_on_court_coaching_6c0bd1676f.jpg)




interview

Cédric Nouvel who is a director of HDN Tennis Academy in the south of France talked with us about his personal professional coaching experience on the WTA Tour and his transition to developing a high-performance tennis academy in Nîmes, France. 

Monthly tennis podcast with Cédric Nouvel, the director of HDN Academy

Monthly tennis podcast:§Talk with Cédric Nouvel (HDN Academy)

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I was aware of the fact that it would be hard for me as a foreigner to get a paid job with my limited time options, therefore I tried to search for volunteer openings. I shortlisted all the European ATP (and also WTA) tournaments which were easily reachable from Prague. Then I looked at the official websites of these events in order to find any mentions about volunteering. I wrote messages to a relatively high amount of accountable people but at the first moment, the results weren´t spectacular at all even though I tuned in my “tennis” CV and motivational letters. I didn´t get any response from several tournaments, from others I was informed that their recruitment had finished by that time or they weren´t in favor of having volunteers from abroad. I kind of expected that but didn´t want to give up so early. I was patient and when I got my first approval message from Båstad, I agreed to come as a volunteer to the Skistar Swedish Open in July. To go there was a no-brainer for me even though I didn´t have a clue how would I deal with only 4 weeks of vacations per year in my (former) job. The problem was that I had already spent a few days skiing in the Alps and for the end of the summer I had bought flight tickets to Canada which would swallow almost all of the vacation days left.

With a simple calculation, I realized that I had exactly zero vacation days left in my 2016 calendar. There is always a way, I said to myself almost neglecting this „little“ problem of mine and my mind was already juggling with the idea of being next to the Swedish clay courts. I was lucky that I could make a compromise with my employee and took 2 non-paid vacation days and promised to work on another 3 days during Czech bank holidays in autumn. Maybe it doesn´t look like a great deal but I took it since I was suddenly free to go. Instead of earning money in my daily job I exchanged few thousand Czech crowns for Swedish kronors and bought my flight ticket to Kobenhaven. The flight took only 2 hours and from there I went by train through a renowned Øresund bridge. It immediately reminded me of the popular TV series called Bron which I had been following just a few weeks before.

After my arrival in Båstad, I was pleasantly surprised by the tennis atmosphere in this small seaside city. Tennis proprieties were almost on every corner starting with a cart full of tennis balls in the supermarket followed by a restaurant named Centercourten. I was starving after being without food from my departure in Prague but unfortunately missed my first lunch with other volunteers, it was too late. I sat at stylish pizza bar next to the pier and ordered – not Margharita or Hawai – but pizza called “Topspin”, I loved that.

![portrait; *My favorite Topspin Pizza in Båstad :-)*](/uploads/BLG_Bastad_pizza_58762fde38.jpg)

And how did it go during my week of volunteering? I settled in the press center where I was immediately greeted by the leader of our team Christian and other colleagues. They had to get used to the fact that I didn´t know a word in Swedish, at least I learned “Tack!” which stands for thank you. I have to mention one of the colleagues Alex, who has a PhD. in psychology and vast experience from European universities. But most of all, I saw that he is mad about the game of tennis the same way I am and we became friends quite quickly. I don´t say that very often after having met someone just a few days ago but sometimes you feel the friendship clicks almost immediately. This is one of the best benefits of volunteering in general, you just never know who are you going to meet.

Tennis players were arriving, from the ones who are lower in the rankings to the top stars like Fernando Verdasco or David Ferrer. After a day or two, I saw the latter Spanish player who was supposed to be the tournament´s favorite, training on the side court so I immediately called Alex to have a look on him. David Ferrer was murmuring quite often between the rallies since he wasn´t satisfied with his game. He complained that he doesn´t feel the ball at all. I wish I could play 20% of his level when he feels under the weather, I thought to myself. Both I and Alex were sitting there fascinated by his footwork and groundstrokes, soaking up a seaside atmosphere of Båstad. After the training session we asked David for a photo – normally I am not in favor of selfies and I try to avoid this trend as much as possible but this time I just couldn´t help myself.

![portrait; *With David Ferrer, one of the best tennis grinders ever to play the game.*](/uploads/BLG_Bastad_Ferrer_25cc433b4f.jpg)

During the whole year, Båstad is a calm city with a population of just around 5 thousand people. But in the summer it wakes up for 3 tennis weeks, beginning with smaller Challenger tournament which is followed by ATP and WTA events. Surroundings of the tennis center and the adjacent pier is suddenly filled with people and the lively feeling continues into the late night. During the day people relax by the seaside and enjoy those Topspin or Smash pizzas and other treats from the bars and the lucky ones enjoy private parties in the yachts. When the night comes, almost everybody starts gathering around a club called Pepes Bodega – who wasn´t there, wasn´t in Båstad, locals say. For the whole week, I stayed in a small dormitory next to the football pitch just 10 minutes walk from the courts. My roommate was Evgenyi from Russia. We were the only two guys who came to volunteer from abroad but with all the colleagues treating both of us nicely, it wasn´t hard to fit in.

![landscape; *One must love those see views from the centre court stands.*](/uploads/BLG_Bastad_centre_court_965b36277c.jpg)

My mornings aren´t usually the strongest part of the days as I am having a tough time getting up. In Båstad, however, I was looking forward to them as I could always enjoy a seaside walk towards the courts before the city woke up. This was also a nice place to go running to but I managed it only once or twice – after the whole day on my feet I was glad to sit for a while and just enjoy some refreshment. Once I set up a tennis match with one of my volunteer colleagues after I borrowed a Babolat racket, the same model I play with, from a cool journalist who I come along in the press center. There was also a daily morning schedule for volunteers and I joined it once for paddle-boarding which I had never tried before. It wasn´t that easy like it looked especially for the balance. Going forward was quite ok but when I was almost leaving calm waters of the pier and had to turn, I got myself in a trouble. The tide was getting higher and in one moment I almost jumped out. In the end, I didn´t have to be the only one swimming in the sea and went back safely.

The strongest experience for me came suddenly when going for a little trip around the tennis area. I was just leaving the hotel where the players stayed and where also the press center was placed. I stared in front of me and approaching was an elegant grey-haired man – no one else than Björn Borg! I immediately went to him and asked for a photo, he smiled like an old friend “Yeah, yeah” and grabbed me around my back. He was totally laid-back which kind of surprised me because I imagined him being more stoical. Considering how many photo and autograph requests he had to undergo during his life, I appreciated his immediacy. 

![landscape; *Probably the best moment of the whole stay was meeting up with legendary Björn Borg*](/uploads/BLG_Bastad_Bjorn_Borg_70e4adbae6.jpg)

Thanks to this moment and to an interesting working experience, I will always cherish the memory of Båstad. The only regret I had was that I couldn´t stay for another week. From the official photos, I noticed that even Peter Forsberg, my all-time favorite ice hockey player, came to watch the WTA tournament so I need to go there again in the future :-)

![landscape; *Hejdå hejdå Båstad!*](/uploads/BLG_Bastad_ball_1b9563e141.jpg)



sweden

volunteer

Founder of tennis-academies.com is looking back to his first experience on the ATP Tour, when he agreed to come as a volunteer to the Skistar Swedish Open in Båstad.

Stan's throwback: My 1st ATP Tour experience in Sweden

Stan's throwback:§My 1st ATP Tour experience

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Original of this interview can be found on [The Tennis Review](http://www.thetennisreview.com/how-to-save-time-when-choosing-the-right-tennis-academy/). 

Hi Stan, how did you come up with this idea to set up a booking platform for camps and programs in tennis academies?

Hey. There were a couple of factors that influenced me but let me pinpoint two of them. The first was a brief meeting with Rafa Nadal back in 2016 during my vacation in Mallorca. I just casually asked in a tennis shop if they had any autographed merchandise and the shop assistant told me that Rafa might just be training a few kilometers from there – in the place where his tennis academy is located today. I didn’t hesitate, jumped in the rented car, went to the academy and, after a while, Rafa really did come on court. I watched his training for over 3 hours and it kind of inspired me to go for my own dreams and take my chances when they occur.

![landscape; *Meeting Rafa Nadal in person was one of the inspirational moments to start the project, says Stan](/uploads/BLG_0415_Stan_Rafa_ee345e5a07.jpg)

From then on, I just couldn´t get rid of the thought of doing some kind of project with tennis academies. But, it wasn´t until 2020, when a concrete idea crystallized in my head. The IT company I work for, we had been developing an online comparison site in the field of energy and insurance, so a business very far away from the world of sports. So the second important moment came when I was driving to work one morning and thinking about this project when I remembered my ambition about tennis academies. Suddenly it all came together and I asked myself something along the lines of: “Is there any website which would compare programs of various tennis academies?”.

**And what did you find out?**

That there was no satisfactory online solution on the market. Just a few websites attempted, I would say, to do something similar, but the technical condition of those sites was poor and did not really allow users to compare a higher number of academies in different countries. Moreover, the prices and dates of tennis camps were usually not published and only available on request, which in itself prevents any basic comparison.

Knowing that, I teamed up with my former colleague and a friend of mine, who is an expert on data solutions and tracing, and we performed a deep research of more than 250 tennis academies in Europe.

**There are that many tennis academies just in Europe?**

Yes and no. The word “academy” has become extensively overused in the past decade, partly because it sounds more cool than a “club”. But in fact, a lot of facilities do not meet the basic requirements of what we would expect from a tennis academy.

**So how do we differentiate a club from a real tennis academy?**

A tennis academy, in our view, should meet at least the following conditions:
- It should offer both short-term and long-term tennis programs, not just individual lessons.
- On-court tennis training is supplemented by the services of fitness coach, physiotherapy, mental training and ideally also nutritionist.
- The academy offers accommodation and boarding options included in the price of programs, be it on-site or very close in a partnering hotel.
- The coaches are able to communicate in English so that the academy can accept tennis players from all around the world.
- Language courses or school enrolment options for the kids are a big plus.
These are basically the criteria we have used to filter out the academies we would like to cooperate with.

To make it clear, I do not have anything against clubs and I consider them absolutely essential for the development of tennis players. I myself have been a member of my hometown tennis club for more than 30 years. But there is a fine line between what we call a club and what is already an academy and I feel like this line has been a bit blurred in the past couple of years.

![landscape; *"Tennis is exciting, but kids should also live life as kids."*, says Raphael Maurer.;Barcelona Tennis Academy](/uploads/ACA_BTA_service_7be0452cef.jpg)

**So why do you think there is a need for a comparison site for tennis academies when people can book directly with them?**

If the players or their parents don’t have any past experience with tennis academies or a close reference, they need to start searching for an academy which suits their needs based on:
- Location
- Age and level of the player
- Price
- Available date
Without the comparison website, this used to be a quest itself since price lists are often non-public and websites are structured differently, which makes it super hard to find detailed information about particular programs, available dates and included services. We solve that by having the same structure of information for all tennis academies, putting different offers in a standardized format.

To sum it up, we significantly save the time needed to choose the most suitable academy and we are happy to give personalized advice to each tennis player or parent who comes to us. Our effort is also to ensure continuity in the players development, so we always discuss the objectives with parents.

Another goal of our project is to show tennis players and their parents that quality tennis programs and academies are available not only in Spain, France or Italy, but also in countries such as the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Switzerland, Belgium or even Norway. Tennis has a great tradition and success in many European countries so why stick with just two or three countries?

**How hard has it been to persuade international tennis academies to join your project?**

The beginnings are hard in every business but I guess I was really determined to get it going once I validated there is a certain hole in the market. I tried to make the most of my experience both from web development and tennis, being around the sport from my early childhood and having the chance to play my part in organizing teams on the ATP Tour, Fed Cup or Laver Cup events.

From the selection of tennis academies we had from our research, I approached some of those who complied with our criteria and explained our plans. I guess it was crucial when we partnered with [Juan Carlos Ferrero Equelite Academy](https://www.tennis-academies.com/partners/jc-ferrero-equelite-sport-academy), which is one the most renowned tennis academies in the world and, after that, others followed as they saw we really meant business.

**You mentioned Juan Carlos Ferrero. Do you feel like it is a trend for professional tennis players to start an academy?**

Yes, I believe so. We are currently partnering with four academies which are associated with the names of former or current professional players (Juan Carlos Ferrero, David Ferrer, Dominika Cibulkova and Karolina Pliskova). The roles of these pros in the organization vary from academy to academy but it is always nice and inspiring to see your idols around the courts passing on their knowledge to young tennis players.

But even academies without big names in their logo do a splendid job of nurturing tennis talents. When I see how involved on a daily basis are the directors of [Barcelona Tennis Academy](https://www.tennis-academies.com/partners/barcelona-tennis-academy) or [HDN Academy](https://www.tennis-academies.com/partners/hdn-academy), I can definitely imagine sending my daughter there for a tennis program when she is older.

```5L_Q9Gs-JYU```

**To conclude what you have told us so far, what would be your suggestion to the parents of young tennis players who consider sending a child to a sports camp at a tennis academy?**
Don’t settle for putting your child in the first tennis academy you come across. Research the possibilities, compare the services and require fast and open communication from the tennis academy as thoroughly as when choosing a school for a child. After all, even a tennis program abroad should be a great life lesson. So, when parents need to be directed to the most suitable tennis academy, they can contact us at [info@tennis-academies.com](mailto:info@tennis-academies.com).



```Barcelona Tennis Academy```

Interview with with Stanislav Nemecek, the founder of tennis-academies.com, who aims to offer tennis players and their parents an easy way to pick the most suitable tennis program.

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