Academy Overview

We have taken the best practice from the leading international tennis academies and the latest International Tennis Federation (ITF) training guidelines to develop a world-class high performance tennis academy for South Africa and surrounding countries.

Our aim is to help young players to reach their full potential mentally, physically, technically, and tactically, as well as for them to obtain a good education. We develop all-round players and quality young people.  We help players to learn through instilling discipline, accountability, and responsibility on and off the tennis court, promoting good sportsmanship at all times.

BSI Tennis Academy is based at Harmelia Tennis Club in Edenvale, Johannesburg.

Expertise

Former Wimbledon player and Tennis SA Tutor Helen Barrett brings her vast experience as a top player and coach to the role of Tennis Performance Director.  Helen heads up a highly experienced and qualified coaching team;

Helen Barrett had this to say about joining BSI; "My passion has always been tennis and now I am so excited to be part of the Balderstone Sports Institute, which will help players reach their full potential through its amazing programs and facilities.  Our aim is to help develop and produce more top players from the strong talent pool in South Africa and surrounding countries.  Equal emphasis will be placed on developing male and female players”

A key focus with our programs is on opening up multiple pathways of success for our students, both locally and internationally through their sports performance and education.  Character development is also a key pillar of our philosophy.

Full-Time Junior Tennis Academy (including schooling)

A full-time junior tennis program for talented and competitive junior players who are serious about reaching their potential.  Our student-athletes combine intensive high-performance tennis training with schooling for Grades 7 to 12.  Learners study the international Cambridge system and/or American GED curriculum (available for higher grades) in the BSI International Study Centre in Linksfield.  Students are transported safely between venues.

Our age-specific training focuses on technical, tactical, mental and physical training with a highly experienced coaching team.

Our academic system is modern and flexible, utilizing an online learner management system with classroom assistance and private tutoring on-call.

This unique approach provides excellent individualised academic support, whilst giving young tennis players flexibility to adapt their study time around their tournament schedule. This style of education is becoming more popular for talented young sports athletes. Each student works at their own pace, based on a weekly work plan in each subject.

The BSI International Study Centre is fully supervised, and each student is allocated an Academic Facilitator to manage their progress. This takes the stress out of the distance learning model for parents.

Players are expected to compete in tournaments set out by TSA as well as ITF and CAT tournaments if applicable.  BSI Coaches attend local tournaments as standard, as well as select national events (extra travel cost applicable) for warm up and to provide support and coaching.

Coaches evaluate the important tournaments for each player and set out periodisation plans for specific tournaments. Periodised training is set out in the following phases:

Preparatory, Pre-competition, Competition Transition or Active Rest.

Boarding is available for boys aged 16 and above. Girls and younger aged boys our housed with host families.

Download a Junior Tennis Brochure

Download the Junior Tennis 2025 Fee document

Download the Junior Tennis Program Application Form

Download the 2024 yearly calendar

Future Star Program (Ages 10-14)

A full-time high intensity high performance tennis program for recent school-leavers.  This program is designed for high level competitive players who wish to continue their training beyond junior tennis.

The training focuses on technical, tactical, mental and physical training with a highly experienced coaching team.  Players are expected to compete in tournaments set out by TSA as well as ITF and CAT tournaments if applicable.

Coaches evaluate the key tournaments for each player and set out periodization plans for specific tournaments. Training is set out in the following phases: Preparatory, Pre-competition, Competition Transition or Active Rest.

Players can enrol for 3-month, 6-month or 1-year programs.  The 1-year program can be combined with BSI’s popular 1-year Sports Management course (recommended), to provide a dual pathway for the player.

The 6-month program is a popular choice for players who are heading to College in USA, to fill the gap between matriculation and starting college the following US Fall.

For more information on our tennis academy please email info@bsisports.com