Tennis fanatics Mike and Eloise Saraty will be jetting off for a five-star holiday to Spain's prestigious La Manga Club this winter after winning a national competition - that they didn't even know they'd entered.

Mike, 65, and 12-year-old Eloise were drawn out as winners of the star prize of a three-day Tennis Weekend Experience at the luxury resort in Murcia, south-east Spain, at the La Manga Club Tennis Day Competition staged recently at the National Tennis Centre (NTC) in Roehampton, south-west London.

Mike and Eloise, a national under-12 level player, were one of six lucky duos to be treated to a day's training at the NTC - Britain's tennis headquarters - after being chosen as winners from a series of competitions run by La Manga Club and Babolat to coincide with Wimbledon this summer.

As well as being given a guided tour of the NTC, the adult-and-child pairs received expert coaching from La Manga Club's team of expert coaches led by director of coaching James Rose, a fun-focused session of drills, games and competitions and the chance to try out the latest Babolat tennis equipment.

The day also offered the opportunity to watch and pick up tips from some of the UK's top players in action including ex-Great Britain Davis Cup captain Jeremy Bates, before Mike and Eloise's name was randomly selected to win the star prize. 

Mike and Eloise, who play at Ember Sports Club in Esher, Surrey, will enjoy a bespoke five-star tennis coaching weekend at La Manga Club including a three-night bed and breakfast stay in the Hotel Principe Felipe, and have the chance to follow in the footsteps of numerous tennis stars past and present.

The likes of Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, British women's stars Laura Robson, Heather Watson and Elena Baltacha have all used the award-winning venue's extensive facilities on the road to tennis stardom while the resort is the overseas training base of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA). 
But Mike revealed that their success came as a complete surprise to them, with his wife Karen only entering the pair in the competition at the last minute, without their knowledge.

"My wife entered us on the LTA website only a few days before. She answered the multiple choice question correctly and, much to our surprise, we were picked out as one of the winners," said Mike who lives with his wife and three children in West Molesey, Surrey.

"We had an excellent day at the National Tennis Centre, which was capped off by winning the trip to La Manga Club.

"It's the first competition that we have ever won and it was wonderful when our names were pulled out. We can't wait to get out there."

Mike revealed that Eloise is keen to pursue a career in tennis when she is older and is hoping that the trip to la Manga Club will help her progress after recently returning from a spell on the injury sidelines.

Mike added: "Eloise has been playing tennis since the age of four-and-a-half, competes at the national level and her ambition is to be a professional tennis player.  

"She enjoys playing tennis rather than watching it on television and really enjoyed learning about the fitness and mental side of the game from all the coaches she met during the day at the centre.

"She has been injured for the last six months and has only just returned to full fitness so winning the prize is the perfect boost for her in her recovery. We've never been to La Manga Club before and we're going to wait until the winter to take the prize, when the weather is not so good for tennis here."

La Manga Club is Europe's leading tennis destination with its magnificent 28-court academy boasting a variety of surfaces on which to play. 

As well as its partnership with the LTA, it has staged various high-profile competitions including Davis and Fed Cup matches, and regularly hosts some of the top stars in the game, with South African number one Kevin Anderson and the Russian Ladies' Tennis Federation the latest leading names to use the resort as a warm weather training base.

In addition to tennis, La Manga Club boasts unrivalled facilities as a sport and leisure venue including three championship golf courses and a 2,000sqm spa and fitness centre. It also offers the choice of a five-star hotel, four-star serviced apartments and townhouses, more than 20 bars and restaurants and great fun for families.

For more information or to book call 00 34 968 17 5577, email reservas@lamangaclub.com or go to www.lamangaclub.com.

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Release issued and distributed by The Azalea Group.

For more information on La Manga Club or images contact Pete Simm on 01730 711920 or email petes@theazaleagroup.com La Manga Club - www.lamangaclub.com - is an unrivalled sports and leisure paradise which sits between the low hills that separate the Mediterranean from the Mar Menor Sea, just 20 minutes from Murcia airport and an hour from Alicante.  

Set out over an area of some 560 hectares (approx. 1,400 acres), it enjoys a mild year-round Mediterranean climate and offers visitors a prestigious five-star hotel, luxury vacation apartments and extensive sports facilities, including three championship golf courses, a 28-court tennis centre and eight grass sports pitches. The resort is also home to innumerable leisure facilities, such as the 2,000m2 Spa La Manga Club with its 13 luxurious treatment rooms, comprehensive fitness centre and 25m indoor swimming pool; meeting, banqueting and incentive facilities, and more than 20 restaurants and bars. 

As well as hosting both Davis and Fed Cup tennis matches, La Manga Club has signed a long-term deal to be the overseas training resort of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) until 2016. It has also staged the Spanish Open golf championship and regularly attracts professional and international football teams to the first-class year-round training facilities which are also used by rugby and cricket sides.

As a result of more than 40 years of continued investment, innovation and commitment to excellence, La Manga Club is widely recognised as Spain's flagship resort and as one of the finest sports and lifestyle destinations in the world. Evidence of this is provided by its numerous awards and accolades.

La Manga Club was the proud recipient of a 2013 Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel website, for the facilities and service on offer at its five-star Hotel Principe Felipe. The resort has long been a staunch supporter of women's golf, being the official overseas resort partner of the English Women's Golf Association for three years as well as hosting the Ladies European Tour (LET) Qualifying School from 2009-12. La Manga Club is also the venue for the Ladies Murcia Open, an LET Access Series event, and regularly hosts top women's amateur events and teams.