Just two days after leading team Europe in the Laver Cup, world tennis legend Björn Borg has visited the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar for the first time. During his three-day stay, the ex-world number 1 and winner of 11 Grand Slams also had the chance to enjoy the facilities at the Rafa Nadal Sports Centre.

“I’m very happy to have come to the Rafa Nadal Academy. I’d heard good things about this place, but spending three days here has confirmed it, it’s incredible. I have really enjoyed myself. I would invite you all to come and see it and to play here. The quality of the training is very good and I think they’ve done a great job. This is why my son has come here, I’m very happy about that and I hope that many others come in the future because the Academy is very good”, said the six-time French Open champion.

His son, Leo Borg, who is currently training at the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar for a few weeks, is considered (at just 16 years of age) to be one of the young promises of Swedish tennis and one of the players destined to lead the new generation of tennis in his country.

During his stay, Björn Borg visited the Rafa Nadal Museum Xperience, where he was able to see the titles collected by Rafa throughout his career. “I’m in his zone, but also in mine”, he joked as he entered the area dedicated to the French Open.

Borg donated a shirt signed by all the players on the European Laver Cup team. The shirt, signed by Nadal, Federer, Thiem, Zverev, Fognini, Tsitsipas and Borg himself will be on display soon in the museum alongside a racquet from the competition donated by Roger Federer.

“It was a pleasure to coach the European team again, who did well as usual. Now back from Geneva, coming here to Manacor and seeing the Museum and everything he has achieved in his life is very beautiful”, stated Björn Borg.

Players of over 40 nationalities live together at the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar. All of them regularly compete in tournaments in different categories, fighting for their individual interests, but over the coming weeks they will be enjoying a unique experience.

To encourage teamwork and to see in the new Davis Cup competition format, for 3 weeks the players will be taking part in a very special tournament (the RNA Davis Cup) in which they will represent their countries, playing ties in exactly the same format as that which will take place in Madrid (two singles and one doubles).

The climax of the event will take place on 3 October, when the finals of the RNA Davis Cup will be played in the presence of Albert Costa, Director of the Davis Cup by Rakuten Madrid Finals. After the matches, which will be played at the Academy, the 2002 French Open champion and winner of the 2000 Davis Cup will explain the new format of the competition to the players and present the winners with a very special prize; a trip to the Caja Mágica to watch the tie between Spain and Croatia on 19 November.

Albert Costa will also take advantage of his visit to the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar to visit the Rafa Nadal Museum Xperience, which houses the 4 Davis Cups won by Spain in which Rafa played a leading role (2004, 2008, 2009, 2011). In November, Nadal will be fighting to lift his fifth salad bowl, for which Spain will have to come through the group stage, where they will take on Medvedev and Khachanov’s Russia and Cilic and Coric’s Croatia.

And in order to support and cheer on Rafa in person, all Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar followers can enjoy a 15% discount on the purchase of Davis Cup by Rakuten Madrid Finals tickets by using the code RNATENNIS.

Historic World Cup shirts and footballs belonging to the Museo del Deporte are on loan to the Rafa Nadal Museum Xperience in Manacor

Madrid, 16 September 2019

In addition to the trophies won by Rafa Nadal throughout his career and objects donated by some of the biggest names in the history of contemporary sport, during the next two weeks, visitors to the Rafa Nadal Museum Xperience will also be able to see the temporary “History of the Football World Cup” exhibition, on loan from the Museo del Deporte. It is a unique and well-presented collection that includes historic shirts and footballs from the World Cup, donated and signed by the greats of the game such as Bobby Charlton, Pelé, Franz Beckenbauer, Mario Kempes, Paolo Rossi, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Antoine Griezmann and it will be on show in Manacor until 6 October.

The Director of the Museo del Deporte, Alfonso Noáin, is very satisfied with the exchange as it ‘reinforces the culture of the legacy of sport, in a first-class space that bears the name of the best Spanish sportsman of all time’. For his part, Javier Perelló, the General Director of the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar and of the Rafa Nadal Sports Centre, wanted to invite all guests to visit the exhibition: “The Rafa Nadal Museum Xperience is a unique space, which will have added value during these days thanks to the extra content, which is difficult to find in any museum in the world”.

The historic World Cup objects will be on display until 6 October. As well as this new exhibit, and many of the objects and interactive and audiovisual experiences on offer in the space, the US Open trophy won by the Manacor native last Sunday in New York will soon be arriving in the museum.

SCHEDULE:

Event: history of the football World Cup through shirts and footballs

Location: Rafa Nadal Museum Xperience (Manacor)

Date: until 6 October    

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