The entry list for the Rafa Nadal Open by Sotheby´s International Realty will include one of the most recognisable faces on tour. Former number 1 Andy Murray has received an invitation from the organisers to compete in the Challenger tournament hosted by the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar, from 26 August to 1 September.

It will not be the three-time Grand Slam champion’s first visit to the facilities in Manacor. In July 2016, the year of its inauguration, Murray had the chance to play on the Mallorcan courts to prepare for the American swing, after claiming his second Wimbledon crown.

The Brit underwent a hip operation last January after the Australian Open and has played in six tournaments since his return in June. However, before taking part in last week’s ATP Masters 1000 in Cincinnati, where he lost 4-6, 4-6 to Richard Gasquet, it had been 210 days since his last singles tournament.

In doubles, he claimed the title in his first tournament since Melbourne alongside Feliciano López on the grass of Queens in London. He also played in Wimbledon (second round), Washington (quarter-finals), Montreal (second round) and Cincinnati (quarter-finals). He has played a total of 16 matches in his bid to get back into the rhythm of tournament tennis.

Murray’s participation at the Rafa Nadal Open by Sotheby’s International Realty will be the Briton’s first on the ATP Challenger Tour since Mons (Belgium) in 2005. Two trophies from the category adorn his cabinet, the first from Aptos (California, USA) and the second from Binghampton (New York, USA), both in 2005. In total, he has a record of 22 victories to 12 defeats on this tour. Manacor now awaits his 35th match.

Tickets for the tournament will be free, after downloading them through the tournament's official website: https://www.rafanadalopen.com/entradas

The Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar is celebrating a very special anniversary this week as tomorrow is a key date in Rafa Nadal’s professional career; it will be 15 years since his first professional title.

On 15 August 2004, in Sopot (Poland), Rafa Nadal entered the ATP Tour winner’s circle for the first time. At just 18 years and two months of age, Rafa became the youngest player to win an ATP tournament since Lleyton Hewitt did so in Delray Beach at the same age in 1999. The original trophy, which is housed in the Museum in the Rafa Nadal Academy, is today one of the most sought after pieces by fans that come to Manacor.

Nadal, who went into the tournament as the sixth seed, gave away no sets in the first three rounds against Victor Hanescu (6-4, 6-4), Arnaud Di Pasquale (6-2, 6-4) and Franco Squillari. He also cruised through his semi-final against Félix Mantilla (7-5, 6-1) to reach the second final of his ATP career. While two months earlier in Auckland, Rafa was unable to get past the Slovakian Dominik Hrbaty, at the second time of asking he managed to see off José Acasuso 6-3, 6-4 to complete the perfect tournament.

As well as the golden trophy presented to him by the event organisers, the ATP subsequently gave him a crystal trophy with a commemorative framed photo for winning his first title on tour. Interestingly, the ATP misspelled the champion’s surname (“1st ATP Title Rafael Nadel”), something often pointed out by visitors at the Rafa Nadal Museum Xperience as they notice the mistake made when Rafa’s surname was not so familiar to the general public.

Fifteen years later, Rafa’s successful career has produced a total of 82 singles titles for the Museum, as well as number 83, which he picked up last week in Montreal and will soon join the others in his trophy cabinet when he returns home from the US Open. All of them are special and each one has its own particular story, but the one from Sopot will always have a special corner in the Rafa Nadal Museum Xperience.

The Rafa Nadal Academy Partners with Sporting Global to Bring World Class Tennis Programs to Los Angeles

The Rafa Nadal Academy has announced a series of elite tennis camps and clinics that will take place in Los Angeles starting this summer.

Youth camps will take place at the prestigious Los Angeles Tennis Club from June 17 to the 22nd and at Mira Costa High School’s top of the line tennis facilities from June 24 to the 29th. Adult clinics will take place June 8 through 11 at the Los Angeles Tennis Club and June 13 through 16 at Mira Costa.

These camps and clinics present an opportunity to train with Rafa’s official coaching staff from his Academy in Manacor, Spain. The experience will include world-class tennis development following the methodology developed by Toni Nadal and his technical staff in an exciting, fun, and fast-paced environment; an attractive, technically/ tactically-skilled, forward-playing game.

Beyond tennis, the camps and clinics also seek to transmit the positive core values that have distinguished Rafa and the Academy. Those core values include: effort, discipline, honesty, commitment, humility and respect, values that define Rafa as an athlete and that are an essential part of the work methodology that has been so successfully implemented at the Academy. We are confident that these positive values will resonate with the Los Angeles tennis community.

The Rafa Nadal Academy, which is home to more than 130 players from all over the world, started its international expansion in February of 2019 with the opening of the first Rafa Nadal Tennis Center in Costa Mujeres (Mexico) in partnership with the Palladium Group and recently launched its second Rafa Nadal Tennis Center in Greece in collaboration with Sani Resort.

For the expansion to the USA, the RNA has partnered with Sporting Global, an international sports management and leadership firm that works with leading sports brands to create sustainable ecosystems that generate fans for life. Soccer powerhouse F.C. Barcelona is amongst them. Now, this LA-based corporation will work hand in hand with the Rafa Nadal Academy so that hundreds of tennis fans will be able to experience a world-class tennis experience in Southern California.

More information:

www.rnacampsla.us

www.rafanadalacademy.com

www.sportingglobal.net

Carlos Moyà’s historic trophy will be displayed at the Rafa Nadal Museum Xperience over the coming weeks.

15 March 1999 is inscribed in gold in the annals of Spanish tennis. That Monday, for the first time in the open era, a Spanish player climbed to the top of the ATP Ranking. Before then, his compatriots had won titles, produced memorable victories and won Grand Slams, but none of them had been the best player in the world until Carlos Moyà achieved the feat.

The Technical Director of the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar became a pioneer and role model for the golden generation of Spanish tennis. Later, Juan Carlos Ferrero (8 September 2003) and Rafael Nadal (18 August 2008) followed the path forged by the Mallorcan 20 years ago, when he showed his peers that nothing was impossible. All three of them have enjoyed the privilege of the number one spot.

“Mum, I’m number one in the world!”, he famously said on the day when he penned one of the most brilliant chapters of his career. These words were spoken in the changing rooms at Indian Wells when he called home with the news after beating Gustavo Kuerten in the semi-finals. The victory guaranteed he would be one of the 26 players to have occupied the top spot in the open era.

Moyà had arrived at the Masters in the Californian desert as world number 4. Ahead of him, the podium was occupied by Pete Sampras (1), Yevgeny Kafelnikov (2) and Álex Corretjà (3). Incidentally, there were only 215 points between him and the peak. It was no easy task, but a certain combination of results would fast-track him to the top.

Sampras, Kafelnikov and Corretjà all failed to get past the second round. The American fell to Félix Mantilla (7-6[6], 3-6, 6-3), while the Russian bowed out to Gustavo Kuerten (0-6, 7-6(4), 6-3) and the Catalan was outplayed by Mark Philippoussis (4-6, 7-5, 6-2). This scenario gave Moyà a clear goal; reach the final of Indian Wells and become world number one.

And indeed he did. One by one, the Balearic Islander picked off his opponents: Jim Courier, Xavier Malisse, Karol Kucera and Gustavo Kuerten. After a tight clash with the Brazilian (6-3, 1-6, 6-1), Moyà’s cry of joy marked a milestone in Spanish tennis. He did, however, fail to seal the title in a final against Philippoussis that went to five sets (7-5, 4-6, 4-6, 6-4, 2-6).

The following day, the Spanish press lauded Moyà’s performance at Indian Wells, which provided a spectacular end to a dream year. ‘A Spaniard at the pinnacle of tennis’, declared El País of the feat. ‘Carlos Moyà, the first Spanish world number one’, hailed the El Mundo daily, while Marca dedicated its front page to the Mallorcan’s achievement.

He was only able to enjoy being the best player on the planet for two weeks, but what nobody can ever take away from the Technical Director of the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar is the honour of being the first Spaniard to achieve the feat.

Carlos Moyà’s number-1 trophy is now on display at the Rafa Nadal Museum Xperience, alongside the one that was awarded to Rafa in 2008. Any tennis and sports fans who would like to see it will be able to do so for the next few weeks at the Rafa Nadal Sports Centre facilities.