Better Tennis Academy

A Vienna Mödling academy with club roots and ambition

Better Tennis Academy operates where Vienna’s southern districts meet the quiet streets of Mödling. The company’s office sits in Mödling, while training unfolds at two main venues: the bustling clay stronghold at Alt Erlaa in Vienna’s 23rd district and the newer indoor complex in nearby Traiskirchen. The split is part of the academy’s DNA. Rather than a remote boarding campus, this is a living tennis ecosystem anchored in real clubs, familiar terraces, and commutes that make sense for local families. The result is a program that feels hands on, coach led, and grounded in the rhythms of city life.

Founded in 2010 out of Vienna’s club culture, the academy began with weekend groups and private lessons before formalizing into a multi site operation. As courts multiplied and players stayed year round, a performance track emerged for motivated juniors who wanted more than seasonal clinics. Today you can feel those origins on any weekday evening. Coaches run drills, parents linger with coffees on the terrace, and players filter through the on site stringing service to tweak tensions mid block. It is polished enough for serious training, yet never so corporate that it loses the human touch.

Why the setting matters for year round training

Vienna and Mödling offer a practical blend of accessibility and calm. The city’s transit network keeps Alt Erlaa within easy reach, which means school commutes remain workable and visiting players can move around without relying on a car. Mödling itself borders the Vienna Woods, giving athletes a quieter base for recovery days and study nights. Climatically, Vienna provides a generous outdoor clay season from spring through early fall, then pivots into a predictable indoor calendar. That seasonal swing shapes how the academy plans blocks. Spring and summer emphasize heavy clay volume for movement, balance, and patience. Autumn and winter lean into faster courts to sharpen first strike patterns and adjust to the lower bounce of indoor hard court play.

For families comparing European options, this geography matters. It allows a junior to experience two training textures without uprooting school life. The weekly rhythm stays sane, the coaching staff does not need to split across distant sites, and players carry over technical cues from one surface to the next.

Facilities: two hubs on clay and hard court

The academy’s training map is simple and purposeful. One hub delivers clay continuity. The other supplies speed and indoor certainty.

Alt Erlaa, Vienna

Alt Erlaa is the beating heart of the program. The club is known for a broad bank of outdoor clay courts and the rare luxury of permanent indoor clay. In winter a bubble adds more covered capacity, which means technical work on clay never has to pause for weather. For juniors learning to organize the ball, shape with topspin, and manage long exchanges, this is invaluable. Parents gravitate to a lounge and terrace that overlook the courts, and the classic club kitchen keeps post practice meals straightforward. It feels like real tennis life rather than a detached training factory.

On the service side, the academy runs an on site shop with professional grade machines and a thoughtful selection of frames and strings. Rackets go in frayed and come out precise. During heavy training weeks or match blocks, that quick turnaround becomes a performance lever. Coaches can call for tension changes mid cycle and observe how spin, launch, and depth respond.

Traiskirchen, Lower Austria

Twenty minutes down the road sits the Traiskirchen site, home to three indoor hard courts with a Rebound Ace surface and an outdoor show court for warm months. The bounce is quicker and flatter than clay, which makes it ideal for rehearsing first strike patterns, return plus one combinations, and the tempo management that winter tournaments demand. Athletes also have access to a well equipped fitness partner next door, allowing the staff to schedule structured strength and conditioning sessions without logistical headaches.

The courts in Traiskirchen attract attention beyond the academy’s own squads. Austrian pros have been known to train on similar surfaces, and the venue has hosted high profile sessions and events. Better Tennis does not present those professionals as alumni. The value for juniors is the environment itself. Sharing a serious facility raises standards and offers a clear picture of how top players go about their craft.

Coaching team and philosophy

Better Tennis retains the feel of a coach owned school where the directors are visible on court. Families often meet head coaches Wolfgang Koschek, Richard Bartosch, and Martin Bartosch, supported by specialists including Igor Račić, Bojan Simeunovic, Andelo Novkovic, Marko Milovanovic, and Nelly Šunjić. Staff rotate by season and site, but the core faces are steady across junior, adult, and private training.

The coaching philosophy is refreshingly straightforward. Early phases are about clean mechanics and precise footwork on clay. Players learn to set the base with compact preparation, a stable contact point, and efficient stances before volume ramps up. As training loads increase, the staff layers in aerobic conditioning, structured strength, yoga for mobility and body awareness, and mental routines that hold up during long exchanges. The academy also cultivates a working partnership with a local school in Mödling, making it easier to align class schedules with training volume for teenagers who are pushing the performance track.

Communication is direct. Weekly plans include clear objectives, and coaches give specific feedback during and after sessions. Parents hear not only what went well but what will be addressed next. It is a practical operation built for gradual, sustainable gains rather than splashy promises.

Programs and pathways for every level

The academy’s menu covers entry points for children, development lanes for committed juniors, structured options for adults, and individual coaching for anyone who wants targeted work.

• Tennis school for kids and teens. Seasonal group courses run across summer and winter with clear age and level bands. Trial sessions make it low risk to find a suitable group. Holiday camps add a high fun, high repetition block for school breaks.
• Performance pathway for juniors. The pathway starts with a fundamentals stage that locks in technique and introduces basic tactical patterns. A second stage, often called the young pros group, adds individual game identity, synchronized athletic work, and tournament calendar planning. These groups funnel into matchplay blocks and regional events to make practice habits visible under pressure.
• Adult squads and team training. Evening programs at Alt Erlaa and partner clubs offer small group formats with set times, level based pairings, and transparent pricing for members and guests. Many participants play club leagues, so sessions often include live point drills that transfer directly to weekend matches.
• Individual coaching. Year round private lessons and 10 session packs are popular for addressing specific priorities. Families often mix group rhythm with one or two private hours per week to accelerate technical changes.

The academy also organizes internal events and cup formats during the winter months. These competitions keep matchplay frequent and lower the novelty factor of official tournaments. Players practice routines for warm up, pre point breathing, and between point resets until they become automatic.

A complete development model

Player development is coordinated across five domains that reinforce one another.

• Technical. Early emphasis is placed on compact swings, a reliable contact point, and footwork sequences that work on clay. Indoor clay at Alt Erlaa allows stable technical work through winter, so cues do not disappear when weather shifts.
• Tactical. Juniors learn patterns for serve plus one, return plus one, and neutral point building on clay before translating those ideas to the faster Traiskirchen courts. The process helps them understand how court speed changes decision making without breaking the logic of their game identity.
• Physical. Plans include movement progressions on court, speed and coordination work in the field, and gym based strength sessions at the Traiskirchen hub. Yoga is integrated for the performance groups to support mobility, posture, and recovery. The goal is not just to get fit but to make the body support how the player wants to win points.
• Mental. Routines for between point resets, momentum management, and problem solving are taught from the youngest groups. Frequent internal matchplay ensures these tools are used in real scoring, not just in drills.
• Education. The school cooperation in Mödling assists with timetable alignment. Families still need to plan around travel for tournaments, but the default week remains predictable and academically sensible.

Alumni and impact

Better Tennis does not claim headline professional alumni. Its value shows in the steady production of prepared juniors who compete confidently in club leagues, regional championships, and Tennis Europe events. Many players transition into strong adult competitors or student athletes who can carry a heavy academic load while keeping tennis meaningful. The academy’s aim is clear. It wants to be the best possible launchpad inside a normal life, not a bubble that requires stepping away from school or family.

If you are comparing environments, it can help to look at how other European programs arrange similar ladders. For example, the Austrian mountain setting and boutique scale of the Lärchenhof Tennis Academy offers a different rhythm, while the structured high performance feel at Serbia Tennis Academy shows another way to build tournament habits. Clay heavy setups like HDN Academy in Nîmes also provide useful context for families prioritizing long rally development.

Culture and daily life

Alt Erlaa functions as a club first and an academy second, which is precisely the point. In summer, juniors move between group drills and supervised matchplay while parents watch from the terrace. In winter, permanent indoor clay keeps the day reliable. The on site stringing service adds frictionless control. Break a string at 10 in the morning and you can return to court in the afternoon with a fresh setup at the requested tension.

Because the academy spans Vienna and Lower Austria, weekends are lively. Younger kids stay close for internal events. Older juniors navigate a circuit of club league fixtures, regional tournaments, and academy organized matchplay. Coaches attend and debrief matches, reinforcing the same cues from practice. The vibe is ambitious without being performative. Players learn to take training seriously and themselves lightly, which is often the best formula for long term growth.

Costs, access, and practicalities

The academy publishes clear pricing for adult programs, with 10 session blocks that reward club members while remaining accessible for guests. Two person formats carry a higher per player rate than three or four person groups, which is typical in the region. Junior performance fees are set by consultation because weekly volume, private lessons, and travel vary widely. While scholarships are not publicly advertised, families with financial constraints are encouraged to raise the topic. The staff will discuss needs based solutions when possible.

International families should note that there is no boarding house. The program is built for day trainees. That said, Vienna’s rental market and Mödling’s smaller scale housing make medium stay apartments realistic, and public transit to Alt Erlaa is straightforward for older juniors who can navigate a city commute. For athletes who want a European training base without relocating into a closed campus, the setup is appealing.

What sets Better Tennis apart

Several features differentiate the academy in practical, performance relevant ways:

• Surface balance without a major move. Heavy clay volume in Vienna builds control, endurance, and point construction. Rebound Ace indoor courts in Traiskirchen deliver speed and first strike rehearsal. The combination is rare within one academy footprint.
• A real club environment. Alt Erlaa has members, a terrace, and a kitchen. Juniors grow up inside normal tennis culture with adults and younger kids around, which keeps perspective healthy.
• School linkage. The cooperation with a local Mödling school lowers friction for adolescents balancing training and coursework.
• On site racquet service. Stringing with professional machines is integrated into the daily routine, which lets coaches and players use tension as a training variable, not just an equipment choice.
• Pro adjacent stimulus. The Traiskirchen venue often hosts elite level practice on the same surface. Seeing serious routines up close normalizes high standards without claiming pros as academy products.

Future outlook and vision

The academy’s recent trajectory is consistent. Invest in venue quality, formalize the performance track, and add partnerships that make training days smoother. Expect continued refinements to scheduling, smart use of technology for video and data, and incremental improvements in recovery resources. The staff prioritizes tools that make tennis better rather than expansion for its own sake. In other words, more of what already works.

The longer term vision remains tied to Vienna’s club culture. The directors want motivated juniors and adults to access high caliber coaching while remaining within family life and school structures. That approach may not produce marketing fireworks, but it is well suited to the steady realities of player development.

Who this academy suits

Choose Better Tennis Academy if you value clay fundamentals, want reliable indoor options through winter, and prefer a daily routine that fits around real school days. The ideal junior is self motivated, comfortable in a club setting, and ready to combine group work with targeted private hours. Adults who enjoy training toward league play will appreciate the small group formats and clear structure. Families seeking full boarding or a closed residential campus should consider other models, since the academy is intentionally woven into everyday city life.

Final verdict

Better Tennis Academy offers a grounded path for players who want serious training without a dramatic relocation. The Vienna Mödling base gives access to two surfaces that matter. The coaching staff is present and practical. The culture rewards consistency, humility, and steady ambition. If your goal is to build a game that works on clay and transfers to faster courts, while keeping school and family in view, this academy delivers a compelling, real world solution.