Ramy James Salameh headed to The Lensbury, a premier sports resort situated beside the River Thames in south west London, to enjoy a two-day tennis retreat alongside plenty of R&R.
Framed and signed squad shirts, silver glinting trophy cabinets and a champions honours board are just some of the sporting memorabilia adorning the walls of The Lensbury Hotel, located on the banks of the River Thames in Teddington. It all reflects more than a century of sporting excellence, ever since its formation as a sports and social club in 1920.
Today, its 25-acres of manicured lawns play host to some of the world’s best teams and sportspeople, who come to prepare and train ahead of major competitions. When England’s Lionesses became European women’s football champions in 2022, they used The Lensbury as their official training base, while international rugby union teams are a mainstay here, and can be found between the posts of professional-level rugby pitches.
During my stay the French international rugby squad were making final preparations ahead of their Six Nations match with England. Beyond this obvious excitement, was the prospect of experiencing some of the 24 top quality multi-surface courts, gaining insight from an LTA Level 4 tennis coach and trying out my new Wilson Clash v3 tennis racket during this residential luxury break.
Getting settled in
So eager was I to get on court, I barely had time to do what every check-in guest does in their room; bounce onto a heavenly king-size bed, switch on the flat-screen TV, fire-up the Nespresso machine and discover if the bathroom has a rain shower, which it did, as well as underfloor heating. Rolling the blinds up, a quintessentially English view greeted me, with a newly mown rugby pitch running beside the River Thames and the Lensbury Watersports Centre visible beyond, all of which set the scene for a memorable stay.
Under the eight floodlit hard macadam courts, waited our tennis coach, Chris Green. He is part of a comprehensive team of coaches within the ‘Racquets Division’ of the hotel, who preside over an adult and Junior tennis programme which includes various league teams, social, cardio and pickle-ball schedules, with padel-courts an imminent inclusion in the portfolio.
Day 1 – On Court
“Footwork is one of the singularly most important parts of tennis,” our coach mentioned, asking us to set down our rackets and move across the baseline in the most efficient manner, understanding step ratio and positioning, when anticipating an incoming ball. Next on the agenda and with rackets back in-hand, we tried to outwit our opponents with deft volleys and drop shots, but only within the confines of the serving box.
Fully warmed up, we moved onto developing the length of our groundstrokes and this was my chance to really understand the capabilities of the Clash v3. Touted as the ideal racket for club level players looking for consistent stability and stroke confidence, my immediate impressions were positive. The racket felt light-weight, with a large sweet-spot across the string-bed, which allowed me more control and accuracy, without losing any power on the shots.
“Another important aspect is reading your opponent’s next shot,” our coach instructed, as we rallied across the net, requesting we vocally announce if we were to ‘hold our position’ or ‘move forward’ to understand when to take the opportunity to approach the net.
To wrap-up the session, Chris split the group into singles and doubles match play, keeping an eagle eye on all aspects of our technique.
From the hard courts to clay
Taking all we had learnt in the morning, the group of ‘Tennis Retreaters’ took these tips onto the clay. This surface allowed for longer rallies during our doubles match, and greater use of spin on the back and forehand, whilst keeping in mind the depth of shots drilled into us during the earlier session; the Wilson racket was adapting well to heavier emphasis of topspin and slice on the strings.
Both clay and grass courts are relatively rare surfaces to play on in the UK, which adds another feather to the bow of The Lensbury. It is no wonder that some of the greats of the game – John McEnroe, Steffi Graf, Bjorn Borg, and other tennis stars – have revolved through the colonnaded hotel entrance to train, stay and donate rackets, which are proudly displayed on the walls.
Time to relax
Gravel paths lead down towards the river’s edge, where a stroll or run under the dappled shade of trees makes one forget you are just a few miles from central London. This is where The Lensbury’s spacious gardens, beautiful neoclassical-style architecture and range of activities, makes even the shortest of stays a wholesome ‘retreat’ to reset and rejuvenate.
The hotel incorporates a private members club, which adds an energy and flow to the everyday vibrancy of The Lensbury, without overwhelming the guest experience; the members concierge ushered me towards a separate building, home to a state-of-the-art gym, fitness studios and 25m swimming pool with thermal suite, whose sauna and steam rooms, soothed well-used muscles.
There is a constant and well-curated balance between health, wellness and enjoyment during any stay, which is best reflected within the club-house conservatory restaurant. Guests look out from floor-to-ceiling windows, beneath the parkland’s tree canopy and onto the Thames & Teddington Lock. The head-chef provides modern-British classics, with some mediterranean options even within the healthier menu choices, such as baba-ghanoush with caraway crackers, spiced pumpkin shawarma washed down with a ‘jumpstart’ or ‘Berrylicious’ smoothie.
Day 2 – On Court
After a refreshing overnight sleep, we returned to the hard courts, our focus on the final morning of coaching was volleying and overhead shots, to help enhance net dominance, followed by serve and precision, targeting accuracy and spin on serves.
“As important as the footwork, is the body shape when coming in for a volley,” Chris stated as he demonstrated; “it is the forward motion and shape of your body that does the work, rather than the swing-speed of the racket head” all great insights to take back for my league tennis matches.
The new racket felt even more comfortable, having been broken-in by the previous day’s play. the level of accuracy it provided was evident again, especially during the serving drill where positional targets in the serving box were hit several times.
To bring the two-days to an end, Chris summarised our tennis clinic before asking us to put it all into practise during match play. Finally, heading off court, The Lensbury had left me feeling composed, relaxed and with a wish to return in the summer to try out the grass courts, which our coach said “rivalled a Wimbledon standard playing surface”.
This was quite a claim, but having experienced the milieu of facilities, architecture and hospitality, I could quite well believe!
The Lensbury: key facilities
- Accommodation: 155 rooms, including Dutch Suites, Deluxe, and Classic Bedrooms
- Dining: The Dunbar Members’ Lounge and the Thames View Restaurant
- Sports & Leisure:
- 26 first-class tennis courts (various surfaces)
- Fully equipped fitness centre with Technogym equipment
- Holistic, high-impact, and cycling studios
- Squash courts & indoor swimming pool
- Riverside reformer pilates studio & tranquil treatment rooms
- Watersports activities on the River Thames
- 25 acres of landscaped gardens and grounds
- Meetings & Events: 27 flexible rooms for up to 225 guests
Distance from major London sporting stadiums
- Twickenham Stadium: 2.7 miles
- Kempton Park: 4.8 miles
- Sandown Park: 5 miles
- Brentford Community Stadium: 5.6 miles
- Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Club: 5.7 miles
- Wembley Stadium: 11.2 miles
- Royal Ascot: 18 miles
Ramy James Salameh was a guest of The Lensbury. See more at thelensbury.com and wilson.com
Photo credits: thelensbury.com / Pete Muller