SotoTennis Academy

A boutique high performance base in the Costa del Sol

SotoTennis Academy occupies a distinctive corner of Spain’s Costa del Sol, in the marina district of Sotogrande, where palm-lined streets meet long afternoons of light. The academy was founded in 2010 by former British number one doubles player Dan Kiernan and his wife Vicki with a straightforward promise to players and families: build a close-knit, high accountability environment in which coaches truly know the individual, plan the journey, and measure progress in practical ways. Fifteen minutes watching morning squads captures that ethos. Coaches are on court early, targets are clear, and players move between drills and live points with intent. The goal is not to be the biggest program in Spain. The goal is to help each athlete make clear, trackable gains season after season.

Why Sotogrande matters for tennis

Sotogrande is known as a sport village with golf, polo, sailing, and tennis woven into daily life. The climate is the quiet advantage. With roughly 325 days of sunshine and mild winters, players lose very few sessions to weather. That consistency compounds. Clay repetitions stack up across months rather than getting interrupted by rain or cold snaps, and hard court blocks can be scheduled without guesswork. Geography adds another layer of practicality. Malaga International Airport is about an hour by car and Gibraltar is closer still, which simplifies arrivals for juniors and pros flying in for training weeks. The region also offers a dense calendar of Spanish junior and open events, so players can test training themes regularly without long travel days. The result is a training base where practice, recovery, and competition cycle smoothly.

Facilities that serve the tennis day

The academy trains primarily at El Octógono, a classic Sotogrande racquet club a short walk from the marina. Players move between true European red clay and American-style hard courts, learning to adapt height, spin, and tempo to the surface rather than defaulting to one playing identity. In 2024 the team added the STA Hub at Plaza Blanca, a dedicated performance space that brings the gym, classroom, offices, and a compact team shop under one roof. It has changed the rhythm of the day. Strength and conditioning blocks now run in a controlled, athlete-centered environment with proper screening, strength progressions, and conditioning circuits. Coaches use the classroom for video review, opponent scouting, and small-group workshops on topics like patterns of play or tournament preparation. The setup is not flashy for its own sake. It works because it keeps the most important spaces close to the courts and aligned with the training plan.

Boarding and the everyday routine

Boarding is designed to teach independence, not just provide a bed. Full-time athletes aged 16 and over can live in the STA Players’ House, a self-catered residence within easy reach of training. Younger players or those who prefer a family setting stay with vetted host families in Sotogrande. Visiting athletes often choose short-stay apartments in the marina so they can walk to courts, food shops, and laundry without relying on constant shuttle runs. None of these options are ostentatious. They are practical, safe, and selected to reduce friction between school, training, and rest.

Coaching staff and a clear philosophy

SotoTennis is intentionally boutique. There are no anonymous mega-squads. Each full-time player is assigned a lead coach who acts as the point person for the entire project. That coach coordinates the technical plan, daily squads, one-to-one lessons, fitness priorities, competition schedules, and follow-up. Formal planning meetings run three times per year with the player and family to set targets and agree on how success will be measured. Day to day, the staff logs session notes and video so that the strength and conditioning coach, the performance analyst, and the lead coach all see the same picture.

The academy’s cultural backbone is summed up in a phrase the staff uses often: Control the Controllables. It does not mean ignoring results. It means aligning the work with behaviors that hold up under pressure. Effort, competitiveness, problem solving, and respect are visible in how sessions are structured and how feedback is delivered. The tone is firm, positive, and specific. Players are pushed to own their routines, speak clearly about what they are working on, and hold teammates to the same standards.

Programs built around the player

SotoTennis offers a range of programs that share one principle: quality over volume.

• Full Time Player Programme - Year-round development with squads, weekly individual lessons, strength and conditioning, verified match play, and competition support in Spain and internationally.
• Access Training Weeks - Short, bespoke training blocks that plug into a player’s home program. Access spaces are capped to preserve the high-performance rhythm of the base.
• Access Groups - Weeks tailored for clubs or performance teams, with SotoTennis coaches aligning on shared goals with visiting staff.
• Pro Team Programme - A limited-roster track for touring professionals and transitioning college players that includes dedicated coaches and hitters, S and C support, travel coaching options, and remote check-ins while on the road.
• Transition or Gap Year - A structured year for international players who pause school to gain concentrated training and competition experience alongside language learning and life skills.
• Tennis plus Academics - Through the Elite Sports Programme with Sotogrande International School, players combine training with a real academic pathway. Younger athletes follow the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme. From 16 to 18, students move into a focused set of International A-Levels with support for standardized testing and English language development. Timetables flex around training and transport to the base is arranged.

The academy designates additional camp windows during school holidays to open extra access spots. Outside those weeks the core rhythm stays true to the full-time high performance model.

How training actually runs

A typical week blends themed squad sessions, targeted individual lessons, and structured gym work. On clay, coaches emphasize height and depth, neutral ball shape, and patient court positioning that allows players to create time and break contact points. On hard court, the plan may tilt toward first-strike patterns, serve plus one combinations, and the footwork that supports faster tempo. Sessions are designed to rehearse the right problem for the surface rather than repeating drills for their own sake.

Strength and conditioning is integrated, not an add-on. New arrivals undergo screening so the staff can identify limitations and set progressions that build tissues and movement competencies in the right order. Multi-planar strength, court-specific footwork, deceleration training, and shoulder care are part of the week. Conditioning targets the demands of tennis: repeat sprints, change of direction, and recovery under fatigue. The coaching and S and C teams coordinate closely so that heavy days, technical rebuilds, and tournament windows are synchronized.

Friday match play is a fixture and often verified for Universal Tennis Rating, which gives juniors and pros a current marker of level. Many weekends are spent at local Spanish events to create an applied learning loop. When players return on Monday, the staff uses match charting and short video clips to highlight two or three adjustments for the week. Quarterly planning meetings reset targets, but the small weekly tweaks are what keep momentum.

Sports psychology is embedded through the Control the Controllables framework and through partner specialists who run workshops and one-to-one sessions. Physiotherapy partners are on call for assessment and return-to-play guidance. Loads are scaled when an athlete’s profile or tournament schedule demands it, which protects availability to train and compete.

Academics without compromise

The Elite Sports Programme with Sotogrande International School is a proper school solution, not a workaround. In the early secondary years, Future Champions attend a full school day and train in the late afternoon. Junior Champions reduce classroom hours slightly and train in the afternoon with supervised study built into the timetable. Elite Champions at 16 to 18 take International A-Levels in subjects that colleges respect, with standardized test preparation and English language support available. The point is optionality. Graduates can pursue European universities with A-Levels or target a United States college roster with a clean transcript, test scores, and a competitive Universal Tennis Rating. Parents often remark that the academic pathway here feels credible and organized, which lowers stress and keeps tennis time focused on tennis.

Alumni, pros at base, and pathways

SotoTennis has built a reputation for creating progress points. Doubles specialist Lloyd Glasspool worked with the academy from unranked to ATP points and went on to establish himself on the tour. Harri Heliövaara trained with the Soto team during runs that included a United States Open Mixed Doubles title. Former full-time player Peter Bothwell became Ireland’s Davis Cup number one and won titles on the International Tennis Federation circuit. On the women’s side, players supported by Soto coaches have pushed inside the top one hundred or made meaningful runs at major events. The base has also hosted high-profile visitors for training blocks, including world number ones and Grand Slam champions who chose the red clay for preseason work. Those visits do not magically transform a junior, but they do raise standards. Sharing a fence line with a top fifty pro gives young players a clear picture of tempo, intent, and professionalism.

Culture and community life

Because the academy is compact by design, players are seen and known. There are Player of the Week acknowledgments tied to behaviors rather than just results. Life skills are built into the routine: stringing a racquet, planning a match, preparing a post-match reflection, or presenting tactical ideas to peers. The Player House and host families reinforce routine and responsibility, while the marina setting lets athletes walk to courts and groceries. Parents visiting for access weeks notice two things quickly. First, the staff speaks with one voice. Whether you talk to a performance coach, the head of S and C, or operations, the plan lines up. Second, transparency is normal. Training and match play are observable with clear context on what is being worked on and how progress will be assessed.

Costs, accessibility, and support

Pricing is provided on request because programs are customized by training volume, competition travel, and academic track. Boarding is available during term through the Player House or host families, and short-stay apartments can be arranged in the marina. Scholarships or financial aid are considered case by case, typically tied to performance potential and fit with academy culture. Families should budget for coaching at tournaments and travel costs in addition to training and accommodation. The academy’s planning model helps by mapping estimated tournament blocks and coaching support in advance so budgets are visible rather than surprising.

What sets SotoTennis apart

• Boutique scale with accountability - Every full-time player has a lead coach who owns the plan, with three formal planning blocks per year and ongoing weekly adjustments.
• Year-round outdoor training on two surfaces - Clay and hard court sessions run in parallel through most of the year, developing adaptable movers and decision makers.
• A credible academic pathway - The partnership with Sotogrande International School offers the IB Middle Years Programme and focused A-Levels, plus standardized test preparation and English language support.
• A live competition ecosystem - Weekly verified match play and a busy Spanish calendar mean players can apply work often without constant long-distance travel.
• A performance hub that connects the day - The Plaza Blanca space aligns gym, recovery, analysis, and classroom work with on-court training.
• Standards lifted by visiting pros - Training blocks with touring professionals give juniors real reference points for tempo and habits.

How it compares to other European options

Families often compare models before deciding. Those seeking a larger campus with a wide array of amenities sometimes look at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy, which operates at a different scale. Players who want a Spanish base centered on clay with a long track record of player development might weigh the Ferrero Tennis Academy. Others consider a Majorcan option and review the Rafa Nadal Academy. SotoTennis distinguishes itself by staying intentionally small, assigning a lead coach to each athlete, and integrating a credible academic route in a walkable marina community. The choice often comes down to whether a player thrives in a boutique setting with tight feedback loops or prefers the energy of a large campus.

Future outlook and vision

The addition of the Plaza Blanca performance hub signals the academy’s direction. Expect deeper integration of performance analysis, more systematic use of video and match data to guide micro-adjustments, and continued collaboration with trusted specialists in psychology and physiotherapy. The staff plans selective growth of the Pro Team to create role models for the next wave of juniors and to keep the training standard high. The footprint will remain compact by design. The focus is quality, not scale.

Who will thrive here

SotoTennis Academy suits athletes and families who want clarity, accountability, and balance. If your child learns best in small groups, benefits from a coach who owns the plan, and needs weekly competitive reps on both clay and hard courts, the environment works. It also fits professionals or college graduates who need a ready-made base with smart coaches, a purposeful gym program, and access to verified match play. If you are searching for a mega campus with dozens of courts and big-show amenities, this is not that. If you value habits that hold up under pressure and a team that speaks with one voice, it is worth shortlisting. Many families begin with an Access Training Week to see how the athlete responds to the rhythm and expectations.

Final word

SotoTennis Academy is not trying to be everything to everyone. It is trying to be the right environment for a defined group of serious players who want individualized attention, year-round training on two surfaces, and a school plan that keeps options open. The combination of climate, facilities that serve the day, a staff that coordinates closely, and a measurable competition plan makes this a compelling base in southern Spain. If your checklist includes substance over spectacle, accountability over volume, and a community where athletes are known by name and plan, Sotogrande’s boutique high performance hub deserves a careful look.