Rafael Nadal officially opened the The Rafa Nadal Academy in his hometown of Mallorca, Spain earlier this week. The academy spans 24,000 square meters (258,000 square feet), complete with 26 tennis courts, various fields and courts for other sports, and academic buildings.
“It’s a dream come true,” Nadal assured, adding that it is “a project that my team and I have worked toward for years. I am grateful from my heart; it is a very special day for me.
“My future is here. I don’t imagine myself living away from Mallorca. The sport is my passion and creating this tennis academy is the most important part. You can also play lots of different sports here. I believe this is a center that kids need. I will be very involved. There is also an international school, which is important to maintain the academic schedule. The team of coaches here (directed by Toni Nadal) have a lot of experience in our professional sport and, also, the knowledge to teach the kids that train at the academy. I’d like to make this a center of tennis for everyone around the world.”
The academy’s first students were on hand for Wednesday’s opening festivities, as were many Nadal family members and special guest Roger Federer. Nadal presented Federer with a personalized gift–a set of photos commemorating their vast history of head-to-head showdowns on the ATP Tour.
“I’ve been around the game 17 years,” Federer told his fellow former world No. 1. “I’ve seen a lot of hard workers and inspiring players, but you’ve been the one in my opinion who has been the most inspiring and most influential and made me the player I am today. Because you’re left-handed, because of your spin, because of the intensity you bring to the court, I had to re-invent and re-work my game entirely. And that’s because of the person you are and how much you’ve trained.”
Thanks @RogerFederer for helping us with the inauguration of the @RNadalAcademy! A pleasure to have your support!! pic.twitter.com/ENw7kvkDlf
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) October 19, 2016
Joined @RafaelNadal at the opening of his Academy. We'll share a lifetime of memories from the 🎾court. Wouldn't miss this one off the court# pic.twitter.com/JfWB85ahXj
— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) October 20, 2016
.@RafaelNadal, @RogerFederer and the President of @Telefonica, #JoséMAlvarezPallete at the inauguration of the #RafaNadalAcademy pic.twitter.com/kmmGg9ipmi
— Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar (@rnadalacademy) October 19, 2016
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Vamos Roger Rafael. Play double pair when you retire from single. It is almost time.
Class act from Roger to throw his support behind the project. And Rafa will find fulfillment in his life by developing the next generation of players.
Fed’s “support” shouldn’t be overrated. 🙂 He was a guest.
Incidentally I don’t know if any of you bother to read the comments under the editorials on ATP’s own site but whenever I do I am always shocked by the complete absence of any moderating. Today’s article is a classic example
http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/nadal-academy-launch-october-2016?utm_source=ATPMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ATP%20World%20Tour%20Insider%20#42 – October 20 2016 (1)
augusta08 Yeah completely agree, this was about Nadals new academy, Roger was a guest there, helping to support Rafa, in promoting his academy for the future of our sport, these are two of the all time greats, but lets not make it all about having a Federer love fest ….