Federer and Sharapova join Rafa Nadal via video link at the Rafa Nadal International School graduation

 

• The Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar held an atypical Graduation in which Rafa Nadal joined the 34 students at the Rafa Nadal International School.

 

• Both Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova spoke on a live video to congratulate the students and wish them luck in their professional and academic futures.  

 

No hugs, no family photo, maintaining social distance. This was the scene at the ceremony where 34 Grade 12 students completed their academic studies by graduating from the Rafa Nadal International School.

 

In order for the ceremony to be in line with the regulations for events during Phase 3 of the de-escalation, the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar setup its facilities to allow social distancing while complying with all the protocols. Despite the restrictions, students were able to enjoy some unforgettable moments at a ceremony full of surprises.

 

The event started with a minute’s silence in memory of all the victims of COVID-19. Then Rafa Nadal, founder of the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar, spoke to the graduates to congratulate them on the period of their lives that is coming to an end and encouraged them to follow their dreams:

 

“Many congratulations, it’s a very special day for all of you. A great achievement in difficult circumstances. We’re very proud of you at the Academy. I would like to thank all the parents for the trust they have placed in us, particularly in the times we are going through. We have tried to meet expectations, we have tried to do things as well as possible given everything that is occurring. I hope you are happy that your children are able to have a graduation, as unfortunately most people will not be able to. We have been through very difficult and complicated times. I hope it has been a period of learning for all of you. Life, most of the time, is not easy. Hopefully this period of time has helped you to gain strength and experience for the challenges you may face in the future. We can learn from all of this that we need to be surrounded by good people, those that give us positive things so that life is more positive. It is vital to make the right decisions at key times in our lives”, Rafa said.

 

 

 

After his speech, Rafa wanted to surprise the graduates by introducing Roger Federer, who connected to the ceremony to join Rafa and the students at a special moment for them: “Hello everybody at the Rafa Nadal Academy many congratulations on everybody who graduates today, I wish you all the very best for your future. For those who go on to play professional tennis you know what it takes. A lot of perseverance, hard work and never forget to have fun. Because I think, that’s the most important and that’s what has separated maybe Rafa and myself that we never lost our passion for what we are doing every single day. There’s going to be rainy days, it’s going to be tough days but there is always a silver lining. There is always going to be the sun that’s going to come back around. Just make sure you keep on working really hard. For those that unfortunately the tennis dream never worked out, but I’m sure you had a great learning experience at the Academy in school but also away, I hope you learned from Rafa, he is a champion in so many ways, he is very humble. Always remember to be kind. Remember to be kind to others you are only as strong as your team and I hope you go on and have a successful and a wonderful career in whatever you are doing. And when you look back at these days in the Academy as some of the best days of your life. And I just wanted to wish you all the very best and I send Rafa also all my greetings to all your family and I wish you all the best with the Academy but right now is celebration time and I hope you guys have a great time. Hello from Switzerland everybody”, ended Federer.

 

 

 

After Federer’s speech, it was Maria Sharapova who appeared on the giant screen to address the graduates:

 

“Hello everyone this is Maria and I just wanted to congratulate you on graduating at Rafa Nadal’s Academy this season. I can only imagine that the last few weeks have been incredibly challenging being away from your family and your friends and also graduating in this environment must be very different to how you pictured it. So I applaud you for your motivation for your hard work and your effort and I encourage you to keep going and keep striving to be the best in your sport. No matter how many ups and downs you face or how many fears you have it’s really always part of the process and you learn so much about yourself along the way. So keep going and I can’t wait to see where your success takes you”, Sharapova told them.

 

  

 

Next, the ceremony included an emotional speech from Theeus Devitt, the school’s Academic Director and speeches from graduates Veer Devang Shah (India), Jan Jauch (Germany) and Borja Aguiló (Spain). Alexander Marcos Walker, director of the Rafa Nadal International School, was the last to speak.

 

Although the ceremony took place with fewer family members than normal and without any friends or most of the teaching staff (the maximum number of people allowed at events is 80), the absentees were able to follow the ceremony on a live stream that was set up for them.

 

At the end of the speeches, Rafa Nadal participated in awarding the diplomas, immortalising a moment that none of them will ever forget. Although there was no family photo, the students were able to throw up their caps in groups of four, two metres apart from one another.