Top Caribbean Island for Tennis Players: Discover Why You Should Visit

Anguilla is the best place in the Caribbean to play tennis— and, fortunately, the island’s most luxurious resorts also offer top-tier courts.

Anguilla sits in the balmy waters of the Caribbean Sea, boasting a unique geographical position: it’s situated at the northeasternmost point of the region, with nothing but ocean lying between it and Nova Scotia, 1,800 miles to the north. This positioning creates a near-constant breeze, providing exhilarating conditions for tennis players navigating the heat of a West Indies court.

Tennis attracted me to Anguilla one spring with my family, where we stayed at Malliouhana, Auberge Resorts Collection— a retro-chic, 25-acre property featuring colorful villas, two lush beaches, and two hard courts. During my first few games, I experienced classic Anguillan weather; it was warm enough to help me work up a sweat, yet pleasantly fresh to prevent wilting.

My playing partner was Sunzahra Liburd Banks, representing the Anguilla Tennis Academy. The resort can connect interested guests of all skill levels with academy students, who also offer clinics on the academy courts for a nominal fee. Banks, 20, was preparing for a tennis scholarship at Savannah State University but spent the winter enhancing her skills on the island, playing with and coaching hotel guests. Many academy players have received scholarships to U.S. universities in recent years, highlighting its significance in fostering talent.

“Coach Mitch saw my potential and told me how far I could go,” said Banks, who started playing at age five through the academy’s summer programs. She refers to Mitchelle Lake, the academy founder, who initiated it on two public courts in 1996 and established a permanent facility in 2007. The academy now serves as an incubator for Caribbean tennis talent, offering six well-maintained courts, an after-school program, and a steady stream of visiting coaches.

For tennis enthusiasts visiting Anguilla, the academy enhances the experience, whether you’re a novice or, like me, a fiercely competitive recreational player whose primary focus is finding tennis opportunities when selecting travel destinations. The academy sends coaches and hitting partners to both the Malliouhana and Four Seasons Resort & Residences Anguilla.

In fact, hotels are crucial for both guests and tennis-playing staff on most Caribbean islands, allowing limited off-duty training hours. Mitch Lake is no exception. As a child, he would take a nearly seven-mile hitchhike to Cap Juluca, a Belmond Hotel, where he served as an assistant in the tennis program. It was there that Lake received letters of recommendation from a patron for a scholarship to the United States. Presently, he is committed to giving back.

At Cap Juluca, the courts are set behind the soft dunes of Maundays Bay, surrounded by vibrant bougainvillea. Shawn Romney, the resort’s head of tennis, grew up playing and working at the hotel with Lake. They attended college together, and now he manages the tennis program, hires academy students, and serves as a mentor for the island’s tennis-loving youth.

During my match with Romney, I fought valiantly, keeping the score close for the first six games before he dominated with precision developed from years of experience on that court.

The Future of Tennis in the Caribbean

In Caribbean resorts, many workers typically leave the sport behind as they transition away from their positions. However, Romney and Lake have created a mutually beneficial relationship that aims to cultivate a new generation of tennis players. Consequently, tennis tourists like myself will find that Anguilla continues to be the premier destination for tennis in the Caribbean.