Emma Lewis treats herself to a two-day tennis retreat at The Lensbury sports resort in west London
My slice serve finds an unreturnable angle in my opponent’s service box and, as it bounces low and skids off to the side of the artificial clay court, I feel that addictive buzz that reminds me why I love this racquet sport! It’s the only ace I hit during the two-day tennis retreat, but it’s one more than usual and you’ve got to take your wins.
I’m playing a fun game of doubles after the final coaching session during a tennis retreat at upmarket sports resort The Lensbury that sits, resplendent, in its enviously spacious, leafy Thames-side position in Teddington, just eight miles from central London, and, on the tennis theme, just west of Wimbledon. It’s a bright but chilly day in February, and day two of The Lensbury’s taster tennis retreat that I’m trying out with some other journalists. I’m feeling fully immersed in the sporty vibe – and envious of the pros who are able to dedicate this much time and energy to the game, and experience this kind of environment on a daily basis.
Skills and drills
Yesterday, our group of five practised useful skills such as split-stepping to help us get into the right position before hitting a shot, cross-stepping on the baseline to cover ground more quickly as we run from side to side, and hitting our balls deeper and with more topspin into our opponent’s side of the court to make it harder for them to return the ball. Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) Level 4-accredited coach Chris also gave me some useful volleying tips to up power and accuracy: ‘Hold onto your racquet with your left hand when preparing for a backhand volley, then push the racquet forwards and step forwards, not sideways, when hitting the ball.’ Today, we’ve been concentrating on serves and I’ve been practising a spin second serve in particular. Having had the time to try the shot over and over, aiming at different cones within the service box has evidently paid off.
Facilities fit for the pros
That first morning, after unpacking in my peaceful, well-appointed room overlooking a rugby pitch and the grass, artificial clay and astro tennis courts, family life and everyday stresses briefly forgotten about, I’d read up on the sporting pedigree of the place. The Lensbury is a historic sports and social club established in 1920, renowned for hosting elite athletes such as John McEnroe, Steffi Graf, Bjorn Borg and England Rugby. So, as I’d headed back over to the main building for lunch after a tennis lesson, I hadn’t been entirely surprised to see that the French rugby team bus had appeared outside reception, ahead of the weekend’s Six Nations match against England in nearby Twickenham (sadly the players were nowhere to be seen though, and probably had their own wing in the enormous 155-bedroomed building we were in).
As well as the two immaculate-looking rugby pitches that the French squad would be practising on, there’s a huge range of sporting and fitness facilities within the 25-acre site, including a fitness centre with gym and fitness studios, plus a 25m swimming pool, sauna and steam room, spa, watersports centre offering kayaking, canoeing, sailing and more, two squash courts and a whopping 26 tennis courts in a variety of surfaces, including three grass courts in the summer. Those who have little ones will be pleased to hear there’s also a crèche, playground and soft play for young kids. You can even have beauty treatments and massages too, and you don’t have to stay here to enjoy the facilities – locals can join as sports club members.
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What plateau?
Back in my normal day-to-day existence in Bristol, the extent of my tennis exposure is attending an hour and a half of coaching at 7pm on a Thursday night, which I rush to straight after fixing a speedy family dinner, fresh from cycling home after a day in the office. If the family’s weekly routine doesn’t get in the way, I’ll also go along to a club session on a Monday evening, or maybe hit some balls with the family at the weekend. I’ll regularly play doubles league matches in the Avon league, too. However, I do find that by merely dipping in and out of the game in my usual rather frazzled state, it takes me a while to get my head in gear for the session, plus I forget what I’ve learnt from one week to the next, which doesn’t seem particularly efficient at helping me to improve as a player.
While it may seem a luxury, I now understand the value of dedicating a few days to honing my skills. On top of the coaching sessions, there’s the chance to play as much tennis as you can handle with like-minded people. Four of us in the group were all of a similar standard and equally keen to consolidate what we’d learnt in the lessons we’d had, so we played at every opportunity. I also had the chance to get used to my brand new Wilson Clash V3 racquet, which I quickly fell in love with as it flattered my shots and gave me free power compared to my old, much lighter racquet. My tennis coach back home is constantly telling me to try to relax more but, up until now, my brain has struggled to compute that holding the racquet more loosely, and generally being more relaxed when hitting shots, can give you more power than when you strangle the grip and try to whack the ball. This retreat kickstarted the process of learning to let the racquet do more of the work – one I’m still reminding myself about each time I play, but, as many of us know, it’s hard to unlearn bad habits you’ve practised for years. There are many more of those ill-formed habits to work on I might add, but that’s one of things I love about tennis – it’s infuriating at times, but also very fun and rewarding when things do click into place physically and/or mentally.
Escape from reality
In the Thames View Restaurant, tennis over for the day, I tuck into Thai Green Curry and chat to my new friends as the sun sinks lower over the Thames and several ducks fly noisily by. Behind us, in the large lounge-bar area, there’s live tennis being shown on a big screen. I find I have a healthy appetite as I couldn’t resist a swim in the pool before dinner, even though we’d been on court for several hours – with such great facilities on tap, it’s hard to avoid the lure of everything this huge, 4-star sports venue and hotel offers, and all with a relaxing, welcoming, upmarket country club-like vibe. I could get used to this!
Summer season
In short, whatever sport you enjoy doing, I can highly recommend a sneaky weekend away doing what you love. Back in reality a couple of days later, when a colleague asked me if I’d had a good time on the trip, I replied, with a smile, that it had been ‘liberating and reinvigorating’. I think he could feel that extra air of positivity around me that day.
Fast forward a few months, and, with the tennis season now properly upon us, I’m confidently using that slice second serve instead of simply plonking the ball over the net, and people at my club keep commenting on how much more powerful my groundstrokes have become. With Wimbledon starting any day now, just a stone’s throw away from The Lensbury, I’ll be watching the pros and being inspired to aim for a few more winning shots.
Please contact The Lensbury for more information on their tennis retreats. Details were still being finalised as we went to press, but one-hour coaching sessions start from £47.50, or £63 for 3 players together. Call 020 8614 6400 or visit lensbury.com
Active Away is also running tennis breaks to The Lensbury from July 4-6 and 11-13 and August 8-10 and 15-17. These two-night trips cost from £469pp B&B based on two people sharing and you’ll receive 11 hours of tennis coaching, using a tennis programme designed by Jamie Murray; activeaway.com
