On the occasion of the fourth anniversary of the inauguration of the Academy, Rafa Nadal wanted to underline the importance of having a differential human factor able to train young players who train throughout the year in Manacor.
“This has always been one of the main challenges, forming a great human team and also a great professional team. In that sense I am satisfied, since I believe that we have a great group of professionals and this gives me a lot of peace of mind. We have coaches with enormous experience in every way, but especially within the professional circuit. Be it my uncle Toni, Gabriel Urpí, Marc Gorriz, Joan Bosch, Joel Figueras or Tomeu Salvá. This group leads the project creating the working methods and training the coaches who are climbing and who have a great desire to learn and work “, has highlighted Rafa.
(embed) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFOCw2BYzmA (/ embed)
Now, who is who within the directive and technical team of the Academy?
MANAGEMENT TEAM
Rafa Nadal, Founder of Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar
Rafa fulfilled one of his great objectives by giving life to a project that he developed with his team for years until it became a reality. The opening in 2016 and the growth of the Academy are a source of pride and satisfaction for Rafa, who from the beginning has been involved both in its birth and in its development and expansion.
Carlos Costa, Head of Business Development
Carlos Costa, who throughout his professional career on the circuit reached the top 10 ATP, became after his retirement an agent of some of the best players in the world. In 2013, and after 12 years working with Rafa Nadal, he immersed himself in the Academy project in order to contribute his knowledge and help young tennis players achieve their highest level of sport without forgetting their academic training. After setting up the project in Mallorca, Carlos has worked to expand this concept to other countries in the world with the development and opening of the “Rafa Nadal Tennis Center” in Mexico and Greece and consolidating the second Academy in Kuwait.
Toni Nadal, Head of Academy. Tennis Director of the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar
Toni Nadal began his career as a director at a tennis school in Manacor (Mallorca), training young players; But it was with his nephew Rafa that he had the opportunity to go through all the stages of the sport: from his early entry into the professional circuit to the achievement of some of the greatest milestones in the history of tennis.
His professional experience as a coach in all of Rafa Nadal's formative stages now constitute the methodological pillar that is applied at the Academy. His teaching qualities also represent a unique value for the management of the rest of the technical team.
Carlos Moyà – Technical Director. Technical Director of Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar)
Carlos Moyà was the first Spanish player in history to rise to the top of world tennis. His status as the world's No. 1 was forged by a prolific career in which he achieved 20 individual titles. His victory at Roland Garros in 1998 and his important participation in the Davis Cup achieved by Spain in 2014 are part of a legendary career.
After his brilliant beginnings as a coach on the circuit, in 2017 he joined Rafa Nadal's technical team. His experience as a player and his contribution to Rafa's game is a source of inspiration for the young players who are trained at the Academy.
TECHNICAL TEAM
Under the direction of Toni Nadal, the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar has an excellent team of coaches with extensive professional and training experience. The leadership of each of the different areas corresponds to the Head Coaches:
Marc Gorriz – Head of Men’s and Women’s Tennis
After a long career on the ATP circuit (in which he ranked 88th on the ATP in singles and 73rd in doubles) Marc made his coaching debut in 1999 with Roberto Carretero. For more than 15 years he worked with such important names as Sergi Bruguera, Albert Portas, Alberto Martín and Robin Haase. At the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar he plays a fundamental role by directing the coaches, coordinating the daily sessions on the court and supervising the activity of the different groups of players.
Joel Figueras – Tennis Coaching Director.
Joel joined the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar after his time at the American Tennis Federation (USTA) where he worked as the head of the high performance center in charge of training the best Youth and Professional players in the country. Throughout his professional career he has trained great tennis players such as Juan Aguilera, Carlos Costa, Tomás Carbonell, Francis Roig and Roberto Carretero.
His role within the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar is to develop and supervise the different aspects of the training programs, including technical, tactical, physical and mental. Since 2018, Joel has also designed the training and methodological plans for the expansion of the Academy through its international centers and the Clinics and Camps organized around the world.
Joan Bosch – Head of Men’s Tennis
After passing through different clubs in Menorca and Mallorca, Joan Bosch began working at the l´Escola Balear de l´Esport technification center, where he coincided with Toni Nadal and Rafa Nadal. After this stage, he worked for 7 years with former world number one Carlos Moya with whom he achieved some of the most important results of his career. After his later stage as director of the Balearic Government's Sports Technification Program, he joined the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar to act as Head Coach and lead groups of different tennis promises.
Gabriel Urpí – Head of Women’s Tennis
After his playing career, Gabriel Urpi became one of the circuit's reference coaches, directing Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in 1994 and 1995, years in which the former world number 1 conquered Roland Garros and the US Open. Later she coached two former Grand Slam champions like Conchita Martínez and Flavia Penneta and more recently Elina Svitolina. In recent years Urpí has worked for the French Tennis Federation advising Nicolas Mahut and Caroline García and the Federation Cup and Davis Cup teams. In his long career as a coach, he also directed Spanish players such as Tomás Carbonell, Francis Roig, Carlos Costa, Fernando Vicente and Beto Martín. Gabriel Urpí has a prominent role in the Rafa Nadal Academy as Head Coach leading the consolidation and growth of women's tennis.
This technical team is complemented by the Pro-Tour Coaches Pedro Clar (Casper Ruud's coach, Tomeu Salvá (Jaume Munar's coach) and Pepo Clavet, as well as those responsible for the different areas: Domingo Roselló (Physical Preparation) Pedro Santandreu (Physiotherapy), Gemma Bes (Nutrition), Carlos Fernandes (Psychology).
All of them make up a first-rate human and professional team that works every day to train the young players who train at the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar.