Have you ever wondered what it’s like being a junior tennis player; when do you actually go to school and fit in all the training? Have you ever thought about how Henry Searle managed to study for his A Levels as well as winning the boys’ singles title at Wimbledon? Or how Mika Stojsavljevic continued her GCSE studies at the same time as winning the US Open junior title?

As the Academic Tutor for the members of LUNTA, I can take you behind the scenes to explore where our elite tennis players sleep, eat, train and learn at Britain’s top junior tennis academy in Loughborough. Life is very different for these young people in many ways, so my aim is to try to provide as much ‘normality’ as possible in school.

LUNTA stands for Loughborough University National Tennis Academy, and as part of a unique partnership, academy members benefit from an exceptional education at Loughborough Schools Foundation, as well as boarding here with us.

As exciting as it is to compete at Wimbledon or even further afield, there is a lot of hard work, dedication and sweat that goes into getting there. From age 14, players can join LUNTA which means leaving home to board in one of our boarding houses here at the Loughborough Schools Foundation. It’s a huge step to move hundreds of miles away from home, family and friends at age 14, but the boarding houses are really homely and designed to provide a restful and comfortable space where they can feel at home.

Balancing academic studies and the demands of tennis training can be very challenging and is compounded by the intense competition schedule of the sport. From early morning practises, which can start at 7am, lessons, evening training sessions, homework, and competitions, the life of a student tennis player, as you would imagine, is really hard work! So, how do they fit it all in?

Weekdays are very intense as the players have to combine their tennis schedule with schoolwork.  A typical day will start with breakfast at 07.30 before heading to the tennis centre. They have 2-3 hours on the tennis courts in the morning with their coaches before heading back to school at 12:00 for lessons until 16:00. They then go back to the tennis centre for strength and conditioning or a serving session until 18:30.

We also have to make sure that they can fit in a series of weekly sessions with the wider LUNTA team focused on nutrition, sport psychology, physio and lifestyle management. As you can see, there is a lot for them to squeeze into their schedules therefore it’s not unknown for the players to take a 5-minute power nap between lessons!

The demands of training and the travel associated with competitions mean that our LUNTA members typically do six GCSE subjects and two A Levels. Where the timetable allows, they join the same classes as other pupils. But where this isn’t possible, they also have some individual lessons and even remote lessons when they are away at competitions.  Often, remote lessons have to be organised in somewhere like the corner of a tennis centre or in a hotel lobby; anywhere with Wi-Fi so we can get on Teams!  The unpredictable nature of tennis with unknown match lengths makes scheduling lessons at tournaments really tough, but the team work hard to squeeze time and space into their day.

Settling down to homework at the end of a long day can be a challenge and having the willpower to put in the hard work both in tennis and school takes a lot of dedication and time management!  Alongside the academic tutors who support players with each subject, LUNTA has a d of Player Wellbeing and Education based at the Tennis Centre.  This role enables joined up thinking between the Tennis team and Education team to ensure players stay focused, despite all of the pressures of competitions and training.

After their evening training session, there is time for dinner, a shower, some homework, getting ready for the next day and then it’s off to bed! It can be hard for academy members to find time to relax and do things they enjoy outside of tennis and study, because their days are so busy!

A large part of my role is ensuring that the academy members are able to keep up with their studies whilst training for and taking part in competitions away. Generally training blocks are interspersed with competitions leading up to key targets for the year including the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open.

Joining lessons and working remotely when they are away at competitions is even harder for the players as there is no routine at a competition.  The order of play can change due to the weather or how long the match before lasts, so planning their time is really hard.  Balancing the matches with nutrition, sports therapy, analysis and reflection with the coach leaves little time for schoolwork particularly if they are playing doubles as well as singles.

However, the Loughborough Schools Foundation provide as much flexibility as possible; and the players do the best they can. The skills that they develop in self-discipline, time management, and mental resilience whilst maintaining the balance of training and schoolwork give them great benefits when it comes to high-level competitions and their school exams.

Given the unpredictability of the players’ movements and availability, it can be quite challenging at times being an Academic Tutor for elite tennis players.  But it is also such a rewarding role. These young players have such interesting lives; you can’t help but be drawn into them, becoming invested in their development as a whole.

Despite my role being to teach, the ‘favourites bar’ on my computer now includes Wimbledon, and the Tennis Podcast is on my playlist when I go for a walk. This way I can easily follow their matches, making sure I get to share a tiny amount of their joy with them when they win!

by Dr Toni Donovan, LUNTA Academic Tutor