I sized up the player across the net. He stood back, deliberately holding his racquet in his non-dominant hand as if giving me a head start. We had begun with decent rallies, but the spectators’ cheers tightened my throat and every ball I hit seemed to have a magnet to the net. Empathetically, he bent the informal rules and called out, ‘One more,’ then added a handful more chances. After three more do-overs I still couldn’t get it together and offered to call the game.
That generosity made the whole thing feel unreal. I was sharing a court with the world No. 1, Carlos Alcaraz, during an amateur clinic—a rare opportunity to rally with a champion. Back on the sidelines, waiting my turn while five other players rotated through, all I could watch was how precisely he moved: head-to-toe Nike, a Babolat in hand, effortlessly dismantling shots. I, by contrast, felt like a high-school castoff in a Target tennis skirt.
The setting only added to the surreal quality. We were staying at COMO Parrot Cay in Turks and Caicos, a 1,000-acre private-island resort known for barefoot luxury. Seventy-two keys span airy rooms, suites, and beach villas with private pools. If I wasn’t relaxed, it wasn’t for lack of an extraordinary backdrop.
The clinic was a collaboration between the resort’s COMO Journeys program and LUX Tennis, which produces coaching experiences at luxury hotels worldwide. At Parrot Cay, Alcaraz spent the afternoon hitting with 18 fans across three half-hour clinics, then hosted a sunset meet-and-greet at a private villa with about 30 guests. Announced only a month earlier, the appearance sold out in four days, drawing a mostly 35-and-older crowd flying in from the northeastern U.S. and Canada, according to resort managing director Tapa Tibble.
‘Guests are no longer satisfied with just beautiful surroundings,’ LUX Tennis founder and CEO Joan Soler told me. Travelers want immersive, once-in-a-lifetime moments—direct interaction with sports icons and authentic, behind-the-scenes access.
LUX Tennis has scaled that idea into roughly 30 events a year, branching beyond tennis into padel and, more recently, pickleball. The LT Star Events program launched in 2021 with ambassadors such as David Ferrer and Martina Hingis and has since paired top players with high-end properties: Iga Swiatek at One&Only Le Saint Géran in Mauritius, Alexander Zverev at Patina Maldives, Daniil Medvedev at One&Only Reethi Rah, and Frances Tiafoe at One&Only Palmilla, among others. The model is simple: match a luxury resort with a player and give guests intimate, meaningful time with a professional.
For the athletes, the appeal varies. In Alcaraz’s case the timing worked in his favor: a break before exhibitions in New Jersey and Florida created space for a Caribbean escape that combined downtime with proximity. He told me that in recent years he’s learned how important it is to reset, especially somewhere warm with a beach—Spain, Miami, and the Caribbean are among his favorite places. ‘Anywhere sunny where I can slow down for a moment,’ he said. ‘There is nothing more relaxing than that.’
Having already hosted clinics at One&Only Palmilla and Abama Resort Tenerife, Alcaraz arrived at Parrot Cay with a small group of friends. He spent his days swimming, boating, fishing, and playing beach volleyball, enjoying a slice of normalcy away from the glare of public life.
COMO Parrot Cay opened in 1998 and was one of the early properties for the wellness-focused COMO brand. The resort leans into easy-breezy beach life—great sand, thoughtful food, and a spa that lives up to the reputation. For Alcaraz, a hotel becomes a temporary home: a reliable gym, room service, a comfortable bed, and blackout curtains all matter because good sleep makes a world of difference. He also appreciates extra sports amenities, like a basketball court, as ways to unwind and disconnect.
Outside the structured clinics, most guests respected his privacy. Some spotted him on brisk morning runs, others at the gym; he was comfortable enough to dine in the resort restaurants rather than isolate himself in a villa. I only realized he’d been sitting at the next table at the Italian restaurant when he stood, waved, and left.
LUX Tennis is far from the only organizer bringing athletes to luxury escapes. Days before Alcaraz’s visit, Novak Djokovic was in Turks and Caicos at Amanyara for a wellness retreat tied to his partnership with Aman. The following week John McEnroe hosted the Baha Mar Cup in the Bahamas, a multi-day event that included names like James Blake, Jessica Pegula, Tommy Paul, and Victoria Azarenka and featured VIP clinics.
These star-studded getaways can look glossy on social feeds, but they also shrink that parasocial gap between fans and athletes. They remind guests that top players seek the same simple pleasures: calm, privacy, and a place to reset.
When our session ended, we were called up for a professional photo with Alcaraz. Trying to hide my sweat, I joked, ‘Thank you for dealing with this remedial student.’ He broke into that trademark ear-to-ear grin, pulled me into the frame, and said with genuine warmth, ‘It was my pleasure.’
