What kind of services do the tennis academies offer?

The tennis academies are training centres which welcome young sports people who want to perfect their technique and work on their physical fitness with the aim of one day competing at professional level.
These professional academies offer long term programmes (a full academic year) but there are also courses lasting for a semester, a trimester or a month. You can also apply for programmes lasting as little as two weeks, which run throughout the year.
All the academies have residences and there are also schools for those students who want to enrol on to the internal programme, enabling them to pursue their academic education while doing tennis coaching.

What are the dates of the tennis programmes held at the academy?

The professional tennis academies run year-round coaching programmes. The longer term courses, such as the full year-or semester courses usually coincide with the academic year. However, the shorter courses can be taken at any time of year.

Which professional tennis academies do we offer in the UAE?

The UAE has the best elite sports academies. One of these is the Ballwards, located in Dubai, with its magnificent sports facilities and an excellent sports coaching team who have long experience of working with young tennis players who go on to play at the very top level of the sport. The technical director of the academy is Vladislav Dubovtcev, a major benchmark when it comes to tennis coaching, whose training methods are renowned the world over. Tennis players of the calibre of Kei Nishikori have been coached in this academy and many other tennis professionals train here occasionally, attracted by the wonderful climate of Dubai and the fantastic facilities at Ballwards.

What level of tennis ability does a young person need to enrol into these programmes?

Ballwards is a specialist elite tennis coaching centre. It is very demanding at a physical level and the training is very intensive. It is only recommended for young people who are serious about reaching their maximum potential. To be accepted onto this programme, participants must have at least intermediate level tennis, but even more important is that they have the capacity to make the huge commitment needed to get the very best out of themselves.

How many hours of training do participants in these academies do?

The proficiency academies run a very intensive coaching programme. Participants train for between 5 and 6 hours a day from Saturday to Thursday. At weekends they usually take part in tournaments at the academy or elsewhere. The coaching combines technical training with physical fitness.

Do the tennis academies have schools?

The Ballwards has its own school for pupils between 12 and 18 years of age. As well as school lessons during the day, there are also evening classes available to provide tuition for young people who want extra support. For international students, it is also possible to enrol into English classes.