Will the “Sophia Country Club” become an exact replica of the famous Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida, where so many young players have trained and from where some have launched into sporting glory?
In fact, the Côte d’Azur could very well be the European Florida for tennis. This is the declared goal of Patrick Mouratoglou, the current coach of Serena Williams, who presented his project during a press briefing on site.
The coach’s academy is currently based in Thiverval-Grignon (Yvelines). Construction in Biot is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2014, with an opening planned for early 2016. “For this, we have an already exceptional tool, which we will expand and improve. The objective is to have 33 tennis courts, of which 8 will be covered,” explained Patrick Mouratoglou. A total of 21 courts will be clay.
A housing center for 150 players, as well as a school for the same number of players, a medical area, a fitness room, a swimming pool, and a multisport field will be created by modifying the current logistics. The academy also aims to host high-level junior or adult professional players.
Patrick Mouratoglou’s model is “a tennis study program for players who want to be professionals and who want to attend American universities,” but also “improvement courses throughout the year, open to everyone.”
This ambitious and quality offering will undoubtedly whet the appetite of many aspirants at the global level.
