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It is easy to see why Emma Raducanu keeps returning to Mark Petchey throughout her tennis career after spending three days working with him on the coaching programme he designed. Their latest reunion at Indian Wells in March marked the third time they had worked together, a year on from their last spell that began at the Miami Open and continued through to Wimbledon.

Raducanu reached the quarter-finals of a WTA 1000 event for the first time immediately after their reunion, re-entering the world's top-50 after 18 months outside as a result, and also made it to the same stage at Queen's before a third-round exit at SW19 to Aryna Sabalenka. She and Petchey first worked together briefly before her 2021 breakthrough, when she became the youngest British woman in the Open Era to reach the round of 16 at the All England Club, then went on to win the US Open as a qualifier.

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During their time together last summer, Raducanu said she "really enjoyed being around" Petchey, explaining "he's been everything the last few months for me" and "helped me so much on all fronts, tennis, off court". After spending just a few days with him at Neilson's new Inside Collection resort - Neilson x Mangia's Torre del Barone Resort in Sicily - it is clear to see why she speaks so highly of him.

It was shocking to see how hands-on a current Tennis Channel commentator was just days after flying in from Paris following the French Open. Petchey is Neilson's Racket Sports Ambassador, but that did not stop the former British No.1 from getting out on court with the club coaches he has trained and helped select.

For someone who was coaching a teenage Andy Murray two decades ago, he still evidently enjoys working with players, regardless of whether or not they have picked up a racket since leaving school. Petchey relished seeing relative beginners finally knock a ball over the net just as much as someone managing to nail their serve.

Tennis is his first love, but padel and pickleball are also embraced, with two hours playing the former alongside him supplying ample evidence. The racket sports centre featured just as many pickleball courts as tennis ones, with plenty of places to play padel as well, without the nightmare of finding somewhere near you that is not fully booked weeks in advance.

Another surprising aspect was just how enjoyable these group sessions were for beginners, regular players and everyone in between. Friendly competition was at the heart of them, with improvement coming through enjoyment rather than endurance.

The grading of clinics also meant one knew what they were getting themselves into, with the colour coding allowing for progression through the week. Practising with players of a similar standard leads to an informal tournament, providing an opportunity to display your improvement, as well as a more social finale to test out your skill with one hand while holding a beverage of your choice in the other.

Petchey remains almost omnipresent throughout, offering advice and encouragement in equal measure, as well as the odd anecdote from his decades in the game. As I found out, it is easy to see why Raducanu keeps coming back, and she is far from the only one.

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