EXCLUSIVE: Patrick Mouratoglou hoping his Academy can thrive despite the Covid-19 crisis

Tennis News
Patrick Mouratoglou's Mouratoglou Academy in Nice France from PA

The tourism industry has been hit badly the coronavirus pandemic and for those offering tennis holidays, the impact of the last few months has been devastating.

With holidays being cancelled and quarantine rules changing with each passing week as the world adapts to the new normal due to the menacing intrusion of Covid-19, the leading tennis resorts in Europe are lacking the flow of customers they would normally be entertaining at this time of the year.

Yet tennis super-coach Patrick Mouratoglou has insisted his magnificent Academy in Nice can stand up to the financial pressures inflicting all businesses in 2020, as he told Tennis365 that he is confident of growing an academy that is both a training base for elite players and tennis tourists.

With a classy hotel featuring a tennis racket shaped swimming pool and coaching courses catering for all ages and abilities in one of the most accommodating climates in Europe, the Mouratoglou Academy is the perfect spot for a tennis holiday and Patrick hopes tourists will continue to visit despite ongoing concerns over Covid-19.

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You might even see some tennis A-listers on the court next to you, with Serena Williams, Coco Gauff and Stefanos Tsitsipas among the star names currently working under Mouratoglou’s tutelage and he is eager to promote the charms on offer in his Nice base.

“It has been a difficult period for everybody. I don’t know anyone, other than Amazon, who have come away happy with this situation from an economical perspective,” he told us in an exclusive interview, as he spoke about a location that has staged the successful Ultimate Tennis Showdown competitions in recent weeks.

“We are lucky that our Academy is financially very solid otherwise this could have been the end of our business. I am really proud of my team because we anticipated what could happy and we adapted to that.

“We sent all the students back home before the lockdown and that was a great decision because it meant they could spend that time with their family rather than being kept in the academy. Everything as closed and when we reopened our tennis programme, we made sure we did it right. Now we are just hoping there is not a second bounce of the virus. Who knows what can happen.

“What we hope is the public have the confidence to come and visit because this is a special place. We are in one of the best spots in Europe. We are on the French Riviera and it is a great place for families to go. They can have their tennis camp and we have a hotel on site for everything to be together when they come off the court.

“We have four swimming pools, a medical centre and the set-up is unique. We have been doing this for 24 years now, so we have a bit of experience to ensure we give people what they want.

“The idea from day one was to do something that was tailor-made for each person. An individual programme to help you improve your game whatever level you are playing at. From six years old upwards, this was our idea. To use what we do with top tennis athletes and translate that to leisure players and live a special experience.”

To visit the Mouratoglou Academy, check out the offers here – https://booking.mouratoglou.com

Follow Kevin Palmer on Twitter @RealKevinPalmer

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Patrick Mouratoglou

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