Manacor, paradise for the world tennis elite

The Rafa Nadal Academy, in Manacor, a town on the island of Mallorca with more than 42,000 inhabitants, andIt is one of the favorite destinations for many of the world’s tennis stars, among other things, because of the weather and because it is a modern center with 18 hard-surface outdoor courts, 21 clay courts, seven of them semi-indoor, and four fast covered, after its recent expansion. There is also accommodation, restaurants, spa, gym, swimming pool and sports courts.

The Academy, where 150 students practice tennis and study, has two professional players in the top-100, Casper Ruud and Jaume Munar, and others in the ITF and junior categories. During the season, some of the best rackets on the circuit train there. Andy Murray, Grigor Dimitrov, Naomi Osaka, Iga Swiatek, Bianca Andreescu, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Diego Schwartzman, Feliciano López, Roberto Bautista, Alejandro Davidovich, John Isner, Lorenzo Sonego, Emil Ruusuvuori, Fernando Verdasco, Christian Garin, Brandon Nakashima, Corentin Moutet, Elias Ymer, Taro Daniel, and Sara Sorribes. Legends such as Boris Becker, Mats Wilander, Bjorn Borg, Martina Hingis, Tommy Haas, David Nalbandián and Fabrice Santoro have also visited the Academy.

This week the Spanish Veterans Championship is being held there, with 556 players. In his day, Carlos Alcaraz won two ITF tournaments in the Manacori complex, and Holger Rune, quarterfinalist at Roland Garros, competed. Murray participated in 2019 in a Challenger on his return to the tracks, with an invitation. “It was very inspiring to go through there and see all of Rafa’s trophies,” said Swiatek, a two-time French Grand Slam champion and declared admirer of Nadal, his values ​​and his working method. The one that Ruud has taken advantage of to take a great leap and settle in the elite.