A Spanish sporting retreat during Wimbledon week

Tennis fans looking to improve their skills are being offered a unique Wimbledon coaching package in the Spanish sunshine – the Tennis Academy at the luxury La Manga Club will be using footage from this year’s tournament to provide tailor made coaching specific to each guest.

La Manga Club’s Tennis Academy, which is hosting its first ever ‘Wimbledon Week’ from 2-8 July, is internationally renowned as Spain’s leading tennis centre – it has 28 courts, has played host to the Davis Cup and is the official winter training base of the British Lawn Tennis Association.

Following a two-hour morning training class, guests will then break to watch video footage from the previous day’s Wimbledon action. Specific shots will be analysed and then one-to-one coaching will be given on-court, with the aim of teaching guests the best play from one of the world’s premier tournaments.

Some of the finer traditions of SW19 are also being upheld at La Manga Club where Tennis Academy guests will be served strawberries and cream, plus Pimm’s or juice, while live coverage will be beamed into the resort so guests can watch the climax of Wimbledon 2007.

However, one Wimbledon tradition, “Rain stopped Play”, will not be replicated – La Manga Club is situated on Spain’s Costa Calida which boasts in excess of 3,000 hours of sunshine a year and an average July rainfall level of zero.

La Manga Club’s Wimbledon Week will take place at the Tennis Academy during the second week of Wimbledon, from 2-8 July. A week-long package, arriving 1 July, is priced from £762 (euros 1,134) per person and includes:

- Seven nights’ accommodation and buffet breakfasts at the five-star Hyatt Regency La Manga
- Five-day Wimbledon Week intensive Tennis Academy training course, including
Two hours’ on-court coaching per day (M-F) by qualified tennis pros – max six students per group
- Video analysis of Wimbledon action, then on-court coaching
- Strawberries and cream, plus Pimm’s or juice
- Live coverage of Wimbledon 2007
- Entrance to indoor swimming pool, fitness area and saunas of Spa La Manga Club
- One Freedom of Choice pass (eg golf lesson, four-day mountain bike hire, one treatment at Spa La Manga Club, etc)
- All prices include VAT and are based on two people in a double room
- Accommodation is also available at the four-star Hyatt Las Lomas Village self-catering residences – the above package costs £556 (euros 828)

Flights are available to Murcia on July 1, returning July 8 from:

Blackpool, £97.33 – jet2.com
London Luton, £102.02 – ryanair.com
Cardiff, £129.03 – bmibaby.com
Glasgow Prestwick, £149.51 – ryanair.com
Southampton, £155.31 – flybe.com

Murcia airport is just 30 minutes from La Manga Club, airlines currently flying direct include: bmibaby, easyJet, Flybe, Flyglobespan, Jet2.com and Ryanair; Alicante is around an hour from La Manga Club.

For more information or for reservations, visit Lamangaclub.com.