Best Tennis Coaches in South London

• By Ellen O'Riordan on Mar 10, 2016

Best Tennis Coaches in South London

South London is the home of tennis, with Wimbledon hosting the world's biggest tennis tournament every year since 1877. It is only right therefore that the area has tennis coaching opportunities for all to enjoy. Whether in the park tennis courts of Wimbledon, Clapham, Streatham or over towards Greenwich there are plenty of opportunities to play tennis in South London, whether as a casual user or with more structured individual or group tennis coaching. Here are some of the best picks for tennis coaching in South London.

Playzennis at Greenwhich Park Tennis Centre

Tennis lessons at these courts are run by the head coach Mark Cunningham, who is ranked number 1 in Kent, top 10 in the UK and is a fully qualified LTA coach.  His mission is to provide the technique required of the game, whilst making sure that players are having fun on the court.

Juniors:  The Mini Reds/ Orange (5-9 year olds) train between 2-3pm on Sundays and focus on basic sporting co-ordination such as hand-eye skills, catching, throwing, balance, movement.  They perform fun exercises and play games amongst the group to work on their serve, rally and score.  The Greens (9-16 year olds) improve their sporting co-ordination such as juggling, balls skills, hand tennis, core strokes.  They play matches amongst the group and against other clubs.  A course of 12 sessions is just £45 for either age group.  Courses are also run over holiday periods such as half term, Easter and summer.

Adults:  All drop in lessons are £10 for smartcard holders and £15 for non-cardholders. Each class involves an hour of coaching followed by an hour of free court time.  The drop in sessions are on Saturdays for Improver (new players should attend this to find their level): 10am, Intermediate: 11am, Advanced: 12pm and Sundays at 11am for the Squad session.  Weekday sessions run during the summer.  An Adult Beginners course runs for 4 weeks at a time (£90) and is designed to prepare new players for the Improver drop in sessions.  They run on Sundays between 10am and 12pm, consisting of 1 hour coaching and 1 hour free playing time.  This course will also run on Monday evenings during the summer months.

• Courses are booked though the website.  

• Private coaching is available at £35/hr, 2-2-1 at £40/hr and a private group is £50/hr. 

• Courts can also be booked and are just £4 for card holders and £9.50 for non-card holders.

• Nearest Station: Cutty Sark (DLR), Elverson Road (DLR), or Greenwhich (southeastern/ DLR.

Serious About Tennis at Hillside Gardens Tennis Coaching

The courses at this venue are run by Dino Skeete, a level 4 qualified coach, through his organisation Serious About Tennis.  He set up the organisation in the hope of providing more people with the chance to excel at tennis.  The courses encompass every aspect of the game, from technique to mental toughness.

Junior Tennis Coaching:  Red Mini courses for 4-6year olds, are held on Fridays between 5 and 6pm and Saturdays between 11am and 12pm.  6-8 year olds can attend group coaching from 11am-12pm on Saturdays.  There is also a Red Mini Performance group, that trains on Sundays from 10 to 11.30am and is by invitation only.  You can email dinoskeete@gmail if you wish your child to join this course.

Adult Tennis Coaching: A great opportunity for anyone who is a complete novice, Dino Skeete runs beginner adult courses called ‘Tennis Xpress’.  The 6 week course runs on Tuesdays (10.30am-12pm) and Fridays (10.30am-12pm), for the fee of £49. There are also beginner classes on Friday mornings between 10.30 and 12 and Cardio Tennis on Thursday evenings from 7-9.

• Visit seriousabouttennis.com to book online.

• Private 1 hour coaching is available for £40 per adult or £30 per child.

• Nearest station: Steatham Hill Overground.