Racket Sports Articles

It's important to hydrate when you play tennis, and when you play in our beachclubs, you’ll need to be on top of this. Equally important as your fuelling routine is a good tennis warm-up drill. Play un-stretched and you could find yourself limping for the rest of your holiday. Plus, if you’re at all competitive about your tennis game then you know you need to be ready to perform from the first serve.

Static stretching – stretching and holding the stretch at its extreme – is a bad way to warm up that can cause injuries (though it is a good warm down). And tennis is a full-body game, so get your whole body moving. If you can’t do a full warm-up before a game, at least try to do a quick jog and get your arms, shoulders, hips and knees moving.

Tennis is a great sport for any age and it’s always great to see new players coming into it, especially with it being such a beautifully social sport too. Something to think about when starting out is the racket you will be using. This is a crucial decision as it will affect your progress within the game as well as your enjoyment of tennis and also potentially helping to avoid unnecessary injuries.

It is worth taking the time before you step on to court at your local club or before you head off to the sun for that tennis holiday, to choose your racket carefully and get the right one for you. A wrong choice will see you waste time and money using one that is just not suited to your needs as a new player. There are many things to consider when picking out the right one.

Below we have broken down a few a few things to think about when considering that first racket purchase:

Tennis is a sport that can be played on many different surfaces. Each surface has different playing characteristics which will affect the style of play and a players natural playing ability.

The International Tennis Federation classify each surface based on speed of the surface, varying from slow which is level one, up to fast at level 5.

There are four main types of surface for tennis courts: grass, clay, hard and artificial grass.

Ex-GB tennis player and Andy Murray's former coach Mark Petchey is the official tennis ambassador for Neilson holidays.

We caught up with him at 1 of Neilson's best tennis resorts, Alana Beach Club in Croatia, to pick his brains and share some of his top tips on key tennis shots with you.

If you would like to join Mark for some coaching on your next Neilson holiday, he will be running his hugely popular tennis weeks at some of our most popular tennis Beach Clubs. Mark will never be far from the courts and will be joining our coaching team for our inclusive coaching and social sessions to put you through your paces and share his knowledge of the game. These tennis weeks are the perfect way to improve your tennis with like-minded people.

Have you ever tuned into Wimbledon and found yourself a little confused by the rules, unfamiliar words, strange scoring system…love?...deuce? etc.

Tennis terminology can seem complicated and unfamiliar but you’ll soon get the hang of it. Here’s a handy guide to some of the key phrases you’ll hear, whether you’re playing, or simply enjoying a good match from the comfort of your sofa.

This guide will help you work out your tennis level so that you can make the most of our tennis programme. It won’t rank where you stand against official LTA players, but it’s a great starting point when you're signing up to group or private coaching sessions on a Beach Club tennis holiday.

Want to improve your game? Of course you do and one-on-one coaching will give you the expert guidance you need. We offer private coaching at all our beach clubs with tennis courts. You can still make the most of our inclusive group coaching sessions, but for an extra charge our expert coaches will take your game to the next level.

Our Beach Club tennis holidays are great for groups looking to play together, with courts available at all of our Beach Clubs in Sardinia, Croatia and Greece (except Cosmos). Whatever your age or ability, we have inclusive group coaching and social tennis available for you to get involved in.

Tennis is just one of the huge range of fun activities we offer for kids aged between 2 and 17 years old in our kids' clubs. Whether it’s the first time they’ve picked up a racket, or they’re set to be the next British winner of Wimbledon, we guarantee they’ll have a ball (sorry couldn’t resist)!

Have you been inspired by the likes of Andy Murray and Serena Williams to pick up a racket this summer but not sure how to get stuck into training? Don’t worry. Former GB tennis player and coach Mark Petchey is on hand to help.

Playing tennis stretches your mental concentration, boosts your social circles and builds your confidence as you learn new skills. It’s also an effective (and fun!) way to get into shape. Keep reading as Mark Petchey shares five practical fitness tips and workout suggestions to help you get match fit for your tennis holiday.