Does this sound familiar? It’s Wimbledon time already, and you still haven’t hit a ball. All excited, you dust off your tennis clobber, rush to the courts — and realise within one or two rallies that you’re even worse than you were at the end of last year.

It’s your own fault for being so British about it. You need to grab the tennis bull by the horns, so sign up for an intensive training week and give your natural ability a chance. Here are our smash hits.

PETER BURWASH TENNIS, Austria

Part of the Bio-Hotel Stanglwirt, this is the high-in-the-hills place to get on top of your game. The immaculate eight outdoor courts and six indoor courts of the Peter Burwash International Tennis School are surrounded by snow-capped mountains and Heidi-like Alpine pastures — you can’t help but feel sporty up here. Plods and pros alike get top-class tuition, including a two-hour tennis clinic each morning, followed by a tournament or a tennis activity in the afternoon.

You may also be required to go on dawn runs and eat lots of vegetables. To mark the 30th anniversary of tennis camps at Stanglwirt, there will be a new Mental Training Camp to help the more advanced player get the psychological edge. You cannot be serious...

The ace break: Bio-Hotel Stanglwirt (00 43 5358 2000, www.stanglwirt.com) has five-day tennis weeks from £200. Six nights, half-board, start at £530pp. Fly to Innsbruck, about 50 miles away, with British Airways (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com).

LA MANGA, Spain

With a vast expanse of 28 courts, La Manga is one of Europe’s largest and finest tennis centres. It also serves as the winter training base for the Lawn Tennis Association and a venue for Davis and Federation Cup matches. Both Tiger Tim and Andrew Murray have smashed their stuff here, but beginners are welcome. Professional coaching will start with the basics of forehand, backhand and volley, then move on to more advanced techniques. With the help of the high-tech VI DVD digital system, you can see a split-screen comparison of your serve alongside Federer’s. (How excruciating.) When you’re not playing tennis, the resort offers lots of other activities, with golf, a spa, watersports and cycling all up for grabs. Or just relax on the beach — you may have earned it.

The ace break: seven nights, B&B, at the resort’s five-star Hyatt Regency start at £731pp (£927pp in high season), including 10 hours of coaching, with Barwell Leisure (020 8786 3000, www.barwell.co.uk). The nearest airport is Murcia, 34 miles away, served by several airlines, including EasyJet (www.easyjet.com) and Jet2 (0871 226 1737, www.jet2.com).

JONATHAN MARKSON TENNIS, Venice

Tennis and Venice — what a marvellous combination. Markson, who already runs successful tennis breaks on the Algarve and on Mallorca, recently set up camp at the Ca’ del Moro Club, on the Lido. It has 10 clay courts, where you’ll have three hours’ daily tuition with tennis pros, focusing on a different stroke each day. Developing physical fitness and a “killer instinct” is considered as important as buffing up your technique. The club also has a sauna, a pool and a gym; and when you’re done with tennis, a 15-minute ride on a vaporetto will take you to the heart of Venice.

The ace break: there are two seven-night tennis camps this year, in June and September, with prices starting at £690, B&B, which includes 15 hours’ tuition and membership of the Ca’ del Moro Club (020 7603 2422, www.marksontennis.com). Airlines flying to Venice include BA (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com), BMI (0870 607 0555, www.flybmi.com) and EasyJet (www.easyjet.com).

WINDMILL HILL, East Sussex

This quintessentially English mansion offers some of the best coaching and facilities in the UK. The 18 courts — indoor, outdoor and grass — have seen some top players practising their swing, among them Jana Novotna, Jennifer Capriati and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario. But the four-night/five-day camp welcomes beginners as well as more advanced players. The emphasis is on social play as well as personal improvement, with up to five hours of tennis on some days. You get half a day off to explore the local attractions — Hastings or Battle, perhaps — but, frankly, the veranda, with its endless views of hazy Sussex countryside, was built to drink Pimm’s on.

The ace break: prices start at £405pp, full-board, for five days (Monday to Friday), including 14 hours of group coaching and video analysis.

Call 0870 033 9997 or visit www.windmillhill.co.uk.

TUSCAN TENNIS, Sardinia

Over the past 13 years, the founding coaches of Tuscan Tennis Holidays, Ian Campbell and Laura Middleton, have expanded their tennis breaks to other locations in Italy and Spain. Perhaps the pick of the destinations is Puntaldia, on the northeast coast of Sardinia. The small tennis club has four beautifully positioned beachside courts and, as the emphasis is on personal attention, each player is taken on their individual merits and taught accordingly. The week includes 10 hours of tuition in a group of no more than six.

The ace break: accommodation is in rustic self-catering villas with gorgeous sea views. Prices start at £715pp for six nights, including 10 hours’ coaching, through Tuscan Tennis Holidays (0141 576 7205, www.tuscanytennis.com). The nearest airport is Olbia, 20 miles away, served by EasyJet (www.easyjet.com) and Meridiana (0845 355 5588, www.meridiana.it).

ROY EMERSON TENNIS, Gstaad

The tennis legend Roy Emerson has won a total of 28 Grand Slam titles, 12 of them in singles — second only to Sampras. So you might want to practise a little before you turn up for one of his tennis weeks. Each of the five camps accommodates between 15 and 40 players at all levels, and although miracles are always possible, Roy is a realist — the aim is to improve on your game rather than alter it. When you’re not playing, the Palace Hotel offers the finest in old-school Swiss hospitality, with a proper muscle-pounding spa and an Olympic-size, heated outdoor pool. Other activities on offer include hiking, biking and rafting.

The ace break: prices start at £1,535pp, full-board, for six nights, including five hours of tennis daily, in groups of four per pro, and a sports massage. Book on 00 41 33 748 5000 or at www.palace.ch; for more information, visit www.royemersontennisweeks.com.

The nearest airport is Geneva, 97 miles away, which is served by BA (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com), EasyJet (www.easyjet.com) and BMI Baby (0871 224 0224, www.bmibaby.com).

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