I’ve travelled throughout my life, but even now there are relatively few places I enjoy returning to time after time — let alone more than once a year. Costa Navarino is different and it became part of the inspiration behind founding TennisOx.
In 2021, after an exhausting business sale process and the death of my father, my family encouraged me to find somewhere to getaway and recharge. By chance, I came across an article about Patrick Mouratoglou opening his first European tennis centre at Costa Navarino that summer. I was particularly intrigued by two brothers on the coaching team who had grown up playing alongside Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The opportunity, as a tennis lover, to spend a week having individual coaching at a centre like this seemed almost too good to be true. That September I first met Giannis and Kostas Fotinopoulos, together with Alexandros Karvelis, an experienced player and coach who has managed the centre since it opened.
My lasting memory of that first week is of the welcoming tennis team, pristine clay courts, the beautiful Ionian Sea backdrop and being taught in the Mouratoglou way. At the start of the week you discuss your personal goals, and the daily sessions are tailored towards them. You are treated with the same enthusiasm and respect as if you were a professional player.
The structured sessions deliver real progress and improvements to take home.Unusually, I had done very little research on Costa Navarino beforehand. I knew that The Westin and The Romanos were five-star hotels, but very little beyond that. On that first visit I discovered somewhere you could spend relaxed days by a pool, dine comfortably on your own in one of the many restaurants and enjoy everything around the tennis. Combined with the morning sessions, it was somewhere I quickly found a real sense of wellbeing.
Each time I return, I discover something different: another restaurant, a different part of the resort, the beach, perhaps a walk, or a trip into Gialova or Pylos. There is always something new, but equally there is a familiarity that makes returning very easy.
Its spaciousness is also important. There is room to enjoy the company of others without feeling you have to spend the whole day, or every evening, together. You can play tennis together and then head to a pool, the beach, one of the restaurants or simply spend some time on your own before meeting again later. That freedom isn’t always easy to find on a group tennis holiday or a more traditional tennis camp.
As I began planning the launch of TennisOx, Costa Navarino became the natural flagship destination for our small-group coaching weeks. It gives us the opportunity to offer something different: quality tennis and the reassurance of having everything organised, while still giving everyone the freedom and space to enjoy their holiday in their own way.
Over the years I have come to know the tennis team and resort management well. With their support, and the detailed knowledge that comes from returning many times, I am confident in the quality of what we can now offer fellow travellers and tennis lovers.
I keep finding something new each time I return, but what draws me back is perhaps the combination: excellent tennis, exceptional surroundings, Greek hospitality and the freedom to enjoy the place differently each time.