Testimonials

Saddlebrook Review 
08.15 am Monday 9th June Court 10 Saddlebrook Tennis Resort. 
John Fritz (Tennis Coach) "Ok Paul lets prepare that racquet earlier!' 
Paul (Me) "John, I have only hit 10 balls and it's mini tennis at the service line!"  
John Fritz "No matter, it's a bad fault that you have and you need to start the racquet back much earlier and then accelerate through the shot".  
Rewind to 07.50 and 50 kids with various adults of all ages are starting the daily warm up of Jogging and Stretching. This lasts about 10 minuets. Howard Moore (Program Director of Hopman Tennis at Saddlebrook) then calls everyone together, players and coaches, for the morning demonstration. Howard is a one off. Totally committed to what he is doing and his enthusiasm is infectious. This morning the demonstration is about forehands and net clearance. This follows Nadal's total domination and destruction of Federer in the French Open Tennis Final. Whilst Howard talks us through the technical make up of the modern forehand two of his coaches fire the ball cross-court clearing the net by 6 feet and landing the ball a meter inside the baseline. They rarely miss. Howard then asks them to lower the height of the ball over the net and the pace picks up. All the while Howard is pointing out what to look for. 
And so 5 hours of top class tennis instruction and drills begins. Take in the 5-day course and I defy anyone NOT to come away a better, fitter and more knowledgeable tennis player. It does not matter how old or young you are or if you are a beginner or advance player, everyone will leave this fantastic facility a better player. At the same time you will be having fun doing it! 
This is the 3rd time I have been to Saddlebrook in just over a year and having visited various Tennis facilities in the USA and Europe I recommend Harry Hopman Tennis and the Saddlebrook to everyone. If you are holidaying as a single, a couple or a family this is the No1 Tennis experience combining outstanding accommodation, onsite eating, leisure facilities and Spa. At value for money prices I truly believe Hopman and Saddlebrook can’t be beaten. 
Play Hard, Work Harder, Have Fun and Enjoy!

-P.I. June 2008

"For anyone truly interested in playing better tennis, whether you be a beginner or a higher level player (including level 5 players), there cannot possibly be a stronger, better place to work on your tennis than at Saddlebrook. I chose the place because of reviews I read, and because former academy students from Saddlebrook I knew told me they thought it to be the number 1 place in this country.
They were absolutely right.
I am committed to becoming an excellent player, so I spent 2 weeks there. In addition to the adult group lessons which were 5 hours per day, I typically added on one hour each day of private lessons with people who mostly taught at the junior academy (but these people do also rotate into the adult tennis group).
What became apparent right away is that there is a tremendous amount of excellent coordination in placing participants with appropriate partners on their courts as well as coaches. The coaches range from very good to outstanding - with most in the outstanding range. You are drilled hard, and you are taught well.
The court coordinator, a fantastic, talented young woman named Nona Wagh, quietly and seemingly effortlessly observes each individual on the court (and I don't think most participants are even aware of that) to make sure they are getting what they need. Whenever necessary, changes on the court are made, be it in your placement or in who your coach is. In the time I was there, sometimes there were 4 of us on the court with one coach, but most of the time it was less than that, and on one occasion I had no one else with me aside from the coach for 2 hours.
Howard Moore is the program director, and it's clear he puts in 100% (if not more) of himself into his job. High standards are maintained everywhere. Each day's session begins with some exercises and a demonstration by the pros of strokes. While on the court, you will be occasionally visited by pro's with special interests (such as mental skills training, footwork), and you are also filmed. In the 2 weeks I was there I was videotaped 3 times. The evaluations that follow the videotaping were invaluable.
I had the opportunity to work with many coaches there, and each one genuinely seemed to have one goal: the improvement of participants. I'd even had coaches who hadn't even been with me on the court come up to me after to offer me additional (highly welcome) information. I've never seen any corporation (be it tennis or otherwise) show so much dedication and enthusiasm.
On any day of the week you're likely to find one of the top players showing up, especially at the junior tennis academy. Blake and the Bryan brothers were around when I was there. It's worth watching the junior players as well. It's clear that it must also be an A-1 program. Last, even before my arrival at Saddlebrook, Howard had directed me to Jason Riley at the Athlete's Compound since I expressed interest in sports-specific training. I typically added an hour of that to my week-days, and I thought that was also invaluable. Yes, this all added up to expense, but the quality and long lasting results from both the sports training and tennis were more than worth the investment. If you love tennis and dream of getting better, go for it: this is THE PLACE and THE ONLY PLACE to get results in your tennis. If you want something less, go elsewhere."

—G.B., Adv. Int., February 2008

" I play competitive tennis, and have been to other top rated camps over the past 15 years. My 'home' for tennis the past six years (and for the future) is Saddlebrook; I just returned from my second trip there this year. The atmosphere at Saddlebrook is great; Howard Moore, the director, is always there to greet you and make you feel at home. The play is very challenging; they definitely get the most out of your game and I always take improvements home. It's great to mix the fun and competitiveness of the different levels of players. Another benefit of Saddlebrook is seeing the many professional players and the up & coming juniors workout. For a tennis player who really loves the game - I highly rate Saddlebrook!"

-D.H., Michigan September 2005

"My experience at Hopman adult tennis camp at Saddlebrook was phenomenal, more fantastic than I had expected. I arrived at Hopman as a mediocre player and after a week with my pro Rob Carlbo, I was a more complete, total player. Rob not only improved what I was already capable of doing, but by the end of the week, had turned several different strokes that had always seemed impossible into my best assets on the court. Rob managed to balance the rigor of the Hopman program with clear, concise instruction on the court. His drills were creative and demonstrated step by step in an easy to follow manner, what is needed in the overall execution, to be successful on the court. He was very enthusiastic, motivating, and professional and a talented player with an innate ability to translate his experience and knowledge on the court to students at all levels. As rigorous as the week was, it was a fantastic and fun experience leaving me with skills that will last a lifetime. It also needs to be mentioned that Brandon was the force behind the scenes of the adult tennis program that kept it running flawlessly. He was approachable, readily available to answer any questions and basically did whatever necessary to ensure that all the students' needs were met on the courts. He was always eager to assist and share his knowledge at all times. Thanks to Rob and Brandon and all the wonderful people I met at Hopman, I plan to return every year."

-K.V., New York

A PERFECT 10

I want to thank EVERYONE at the Saddlebrook Tennis and Golf Academy for doing such an exceptional job.

I cannot say enough GREAT THINGS about the Saddlebrook RESORT AND TENNIS ACADEMY. Everyone was terrific. The tennis was excellent, the coaching superb and the drills to improve your game were extremely helpful. The Tennis Academy (as well as the resort) is very well organized and everyone was a total pleasure to deal with.

My son Jourdan (age 7.5 )and I had the pleasure of spending one week at your beautiful resort from August 24-30th. We enrolled in the Tennis Academy for 5 hours of instruction daily. Every instructor- in particular John F, Robert G, Alex-, Ed, Howard were all terrific.
The pros constantly encourage you to reach your potential in a very fun and positive way.
If you are a serious tennis player out to fine tune your game-Saddlebrook is the place to be.

As a physician surgeon and venture capitalist I have the opportunity to travel all over the world. The Saddlebrook Resort is 5 Star in my rating and again everyone was professional, pleasant and helpful from the main office staff, valets, to the tennis coaches, etc.
You have an "A-list" team and in this day of mediocrity and poor service- it was refreshing to see that places like Saddlebrook really still exist and have their "TOTAL ACT TOGETHER".

Once again my son Jourdan and I had a great week- "A PERFECT 10" and we will be back often and we will recommend the Saddlebrook Resort and Tennis Academy to all of our tennis and golf playing friends.

Thank you once again for a most enjoyable experience.
Keep up the GREAT WORK.

-R.K. August 2006

If you will recall my son, Jordan Daigle, spent a week at Saddlebrook in early July, participating in the junior tennis program. To say that his stay at Saddlebrook was a memorable one is an understatement. He had the time of his life.

At the time of his visit, Jordan had just turned 12 years old and had never traveled out of state alone. As somewhat over-protective parents, my wife and I were more than a little nervous about sending him four states away to a destination where he knew no one. In retrospect, let me assure you that any anxiety that my wife and I had about Jordan's visit was entirely misplaced.

From the time that he was greeted at the airport upon his arrival to the time he departed Saddlebrook, was one fun-filled activity after another. The tennis instruction was outstanding, the fitness workouts were challenging, and he loved every minute of it. On top of the tennis, he really enjoyed the evening activities and forged many relationships during his stay.

Please pass on my appreciation to Howard Moore and his staff who took Jordan under their wing and did such an outstanding job during the camp.

Finally, feel free to share any of my comments set forth above with any other parents who experience any trepidation in sending their children away from home to this wonderful place called Saddlebrook.

We will be scheduling follow-up trips to Saddlebrook for Jordan as he is very anxious to return as soon as possible.

-R.D., Louisiana August 2006

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