Rafa Nadal returns to the court one year after his last Davis Cup match

19.11.2025

Editorial RNA

The Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar experienced a very special day today as Rafa Nadal returned to a tennis court with a racket in hand. The 22-time Grand Slam champion took part in a training session alongside Alex Eala, Academy student and one of the brightest rising stars on the women’s circuit. The session carried particular significance as it took place exactly one year after the Spaniard’s last official match at the Davis Cup Finals.

“Un año después, fue una gran sensación volver a una pista de tenis. Fue genial entrenar contigo, Alex Eala. La próxima vez estaré más fuerte”, escribió el propio Rafa en sus perfiles de redes sociales.

Nadal, who remains closely involved in the daily life of the Academy and in the development of young talents, shared an intense session with Eala, who has wrapped up a historic 2025 season. The Filipino player, coached by Joan Bosh, has enjoyed an extraordinary year in which she broke into the world’s Top 50, establishing herself as one of the new sensations on the WTA Tour.

At just 19 years old, Eala has experienced a meteoric rise in 2025. She climbed from No. 143 to the Top 50, driven by standout results such as her semifinals run at the Miami Open—where she defeated players of the stature of Iga Świątek and Jeļena Ostapenko—and her impressive Grand Slam debut, claiming victory at the US Open, a historic milestone for Filipino tennis. Her titles in Guadalajara and her final in Eastbourne completed an exceptional season.

Since arriving in Manacor in 2018 to train at the Rafa Nadal Academy, Eala has grown both athletically and academically, collecting achievements such as junior titles at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and the US Open Junior, in addition to multiple successes on the ITF and WTA circuits.

The value of the legacy

The training session with Nadal also reflects the strong connection Rafa maintains with the players who have come through the Academy, symbolizing the legacy he continues to impart to the new generation of tennis players.

Since its creation, the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar has become an international benchmark for the development of young athletes. The reunion between Nadal and Eala highlights the Academy’s commitment to excellence, holistic development and the transmission of values that have defined the career of the 22-time Grand Slam champion.