Gustavo Marcaccio, new tennis director of the Rafa Nadal Academy: “Following Rafa’s passion will be our biggest challenge”

03.10.2025

Editorial RNA

The Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar begins a new stage in the tennis area with the incorporation of Gustavo Marcaccio as the new director. With his appointment and on the eve of celebrating its ninth anniversary, the Academy reinforces its commitment to keep alive the legacy of Rafa Nadal both in Manacor and in the international centers.

“Being the director of the Rafa Nadal Academy means a great responsibility because it means representing Rafa’s vision and legacy in the tennis community. Following his passion is going to be our biggest challenge. Our goal is to leave an imprint on every child, every adult and every professional player who passes through here, taking care of every detail, on and off the court,” said Marcaccio.

The Argentine coach also stressed that the Academy’s philosophy goes beyond sporting performance: “We must be attentive to every detail every day, with our on-court service and off-court human interaction. With our student-athletes, we have to transmit Rafa’s drive in combining sport and studies. He is the best example: when he was a player in training, he was required to go to high school, finish and get his diploma. That’s something we have to make sure that not only the students, but also the parents understand. For us, that combination is fundamental.

Marcaccio joined the Academy in 2021 and has worked in teams such as those of Jaume Munar and Martín Landaluce, as well as accompanying Rafa Nadal in the last two years of his professional career. “My relationship with Rafa began when I was on the circuit: he was a newcomer who had to be followed closely and quickly became a star. Later I coached some of his rivals and friends, and so we started to build a relationship. He then invited me to join the Academy and I eventually ended up helping him in his last two years of his career,” he recounted.

From his experience with Rafa, the Argentinean has a very clear lesson: “After 22 Grand Slams he was still open to listen, to innovate and to look for improvements, even if they were minimal. I think I learned much more from him than I was able to give him on the court. That’s what makes him a super athlete”.

In this new structure, Marcaccio will have Tomeu Salvà as technical co-director and the support of referents such as Toni Nadal (Academy ambassador), Marc Gorriz (technical consultant) and Joel Figueras (training manager). The team is completed with coaches such as Anabel Medina, Pedro

Clar or Joan Bosch, who accompany elite players such as Casper Ruud, Alex Eala, Alina Korneeva or Coleman Wong.

In total, more than 60 trainers and a solid group of physical trainers, physiotherapists, sports psychologists and nutritionists, together with the medical team of Quirón Salud -with reference figures such as Rafael Maymó or Dr. Ángel Ruiz-Cotorro- support a project whose purpose remains the same: to keep alive the passion and legacy of Rafa Nadal.