Tennis in the Sun has enlisted the help of former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic to promote its new holiday destination in Croatia.
The British business is offering customers the chance to play on the same clay courts that Andy Murray and co. sealed Great Britain’s return to the World Group after adding Umag to their list of holiday destinations.
Originally established five years ago by LTA Level 4 coach Daren Quilty offering tennis holidays in Portugal, the company relaunched last year with a variety of venues from Florida to Morocco and the Middle East as well as numerous European destinations.
One of the newest additions is the Croatian resort of Umag in the north of the country, which boasts 26 predominantly clay tennis courts, spa facilities and is just a stone’s throw from the beach on the Adriatic Coast.
“Goran uses Umag for his training base and the Croatian national team train there. Goran then holds two camps there – three weeks in July and for a further three weeks in September,” Andy Andreou, director at Tennis in the Sun, told TIA UK News.
“The resort is right on the beach – the five-star hotel is located next to the complex. There are also four-star apartments and a four-star hotel in close proximity so it’s perfect to suit all needs and budgets. There’s also a great choice of other sporting activities to choose from such as golf, football, basketball and cycling.”
“It’s good to have someone like Goran promoting what we are doing,” Andy added. “Ninety-five per cent of the clientele at the resort are Austrians and Germans so it’s a huge opportunity for us and we are hoping we can build up the number of British visitors.
“Goran is a proud Croatian and he is very pleased Tennis in the Sun is sending people on holiday to his country. When people think of tennis holidays they think of Spain and Portugal but Croatia is also a fantastic holiday destination.”
From individuals to large groups, and hosted trips to tailor-made holidays, Andy prides himself in being able to cater for all tastes and budgets.
“We haven’t had a call yet where we couldn’t arrange what the clients have asked for,” he says. “Although we probably wouldn’t be able to get John McEnroe in as a training partner!
“Tennis in the Sun offers a variety of venues and cater for all needs; small groups, large groups, different budgets and different styles, and all levels of tennis ability.
“We offer people anything they want which is tennis related. We’ve got around a dozen hosted trips next year to choose from or we can tailor-make a holiday to whatever someone wants – whether that is one-to-one coaching, matches every day, group coaching or a combination of everything.
“They tell us what they want and we will put it together for them. We set Tennis in the Sun up thinking that most people would sign up for the hosted trips but we’ve been surprised by the number of people wanting bespoke holidays.”
“For example we have got a lovely 1850s French farmhouse in Bergerac which is perfect for a smaller group with wine tasting trips and a real culinary focus to complement the tennis coaching.
“At the opposite end of the spectrum we’ve got high-end luxury resorts Ritz Carlton in Key Biscayne, Florida and the Abama Golf and Spa Resort in Tenerife.
“We’re running a trip in March to Tenerife which costs just £495 for four nights that includes 10 hours’ tennis. As we are taking a large group we can offer high-end trips at a great price.
“We also have a lot of non-tennis playing partners coming along. Most of Tennis in the Sun hotels are luxury spa hotels and are great for partners who don’t want to spend their holiday on the court. In fact, we had one trip where there were more non-players than players!”
So whether it’s a week training with a former Wimbledon champion or a few days’ pampering in the spa, Tennis in the Sun is striving to offer the personal touch to provide a tennis holiday as individual as Goran himself.
For more information, visit tennisinthesun.com