Rafael Nadal upbeat about Academy expansion

Rafael Nadal founded his Academy in Manacor, Spain, with the main objective of making it a development center for many emerging young people. During the long period of the pandemic, the structure of the former World number 1 has developed an expansion and renewal plan. The Academy now boasts nine fast outdoor courts, 15 clay courts (seven of which will be built in 2021), four indoor hard courts and seven red clay courts, a football pitch, seven paddle courts, a Padbol field, two squash courts, a semi-Olympic swimming pool, an outdoor swimming pool, a fitness center and a wellness center.

Nadal on his Academy

During a recent interview, the 19-time Grand Slam champion explained how important the expansion of the Academy is to make it a reference point for children. "With this expansion we try to get closer to what an international reference sports center needs. The expansion means a lot to the players because in Mallorca there are some days when it rains and sometimes they can't train in the conditions they deserve," said Rafael Nadal. "With this expansion of indoor camps I think we are making a very important leap in terms of quality , since the service we will provide to young people and adults will be even better than what we can offer now and will also help us host even more events that could be important for the whole community," the Spaniard added. "I am happy because people from all over the world will be able to take advantage of better facilities and because this will allow us to offer a better service to all fans of Manacor and Mallorca. I think we can now say that we are going to become a reference center all over the world," Nadal finished. Meanwhile, the Grand Slam champion was joined by male friends during the break from tennis brought on by coronavirus. Spanish superstar Nadal boarded the jetski off the back of an enormous yacht just off the coast of Europe's party capital. Speaking on Con Amigos Asi in August Nadal admitted his career has made starting a family difficult. He said: "I would love to have children, boys, girls… I’m a person who loves kids and I’m a family guy. But also I tell you that the reality is, the years keep passing, I would like to start to do all of this when my sporting life determines it."

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2YobItD