{"id":50923,"date":"2026-08-31T09:06:57","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T09:06:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rafanadalacademy.com\/sin-categorizar\/the-eighth-edition-of-the-rafa-nadal-open-by-movistar-begins\/"},"modified":"2026-08-31T09:13:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T09:13:00","slug":"the-eighth-edition-of-the-rafa-nadal-open-by-movistar-begins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rafanadalacademy.com\/en\/news\/the-eighth-edition-of-the-rafa-nadal-open-by-movistar-begins\/","title":{"rendered":"The eighth edition of the Rafa Nadal Open by Movistar begins"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Rafa Nadal Open by Movistar 2026 is now underway<\/strong>. The courts of the Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor are hosting the first matches of the qualifying rounds for this ATP Challenger Tour<\/strong> tournament, which will run until September 6. <\/p>\n\n

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Aerial view of the center court during the Rafa Nadal Open by Movistar final <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
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Following the start of the qualifying rounds, all eyes now turn to a main draw that will once again bring together established players from the professional circuit and some of the brightest young prospects in international tennis.<\/p>\n\n

Among them will be a strong contingent from the Rafa Nadal Academy<\/strong>, featuring three junior Grand Slam champions: Dani Rinc\u00f3n, Ivan Ivanov, and Ziga Sesko<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

One of the tournament’s main protagonists will be Dani Rinc\u00f3n<\/strong>, the defending champion of the Rafa Nadal Open by Movistar. The player from \u00c1vila, who captured the 2021 US Open junior title<\/strong>, returns to the courts where last year he became the first Spanish player and the first Academy-trained athlete to win the title. Rinc\u00f3n will begin his title defense against Estonia’s Daniil Glinka<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n

Also competing in the draw will be Ivan Ivanov<\/strong>, who arrives in Manacor following an outstanding junior career in which he has established himself as one of the great talents of his generation.<\/p>\n\n

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The Academy’s third junior Grand Slam champion will be Ziga Sesko<\/strong>, recent winner of the Wimbledon junior doubles title. The Slovenian player was also one of the stars of the Rafa Nadal Open by Movistar main draw ceremony<\/strong>, held at the Academy before the start of competition. Sesko will make his debut against the tournament’s second seed, France’s Alexandre Muller<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n

Eight editions of professional tennis in Manacor<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Since its inception in 2018<\/strong>, the Rafa Nadal Open by Movistar has featured the participation of names such as Carlos Alcaraz, Andy Murray, Marin Cilic, Fernando Verdasco, and Pablo And\u00fajar<\/strong>, as well as numerous young players who have since gone on to establish themselves among the world’s tennis elite.<\/p>\n\n

Furthermore, across its seven previous editions, no player has repeated as champion<\/strong>, with seven different winners: Bernard Tomic (2018), Emil Ruusuvuori (2019), Lukas Lacko (2021), Luca Nardi (2022), Hamad Medjedovic (2023), Duje Ajdukovi\u0107 (2024), and Dani Rinc\u00f3n (2025)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

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Beyond the competition, the Rafa Nadal Open by Movistar<\/strong> will once again combine tennis and entertainment throughout the week with a program of culinary offerings, music, and leisure activities for children and families<\/strong>. As in previous editions, admission to the tournament is free<\/strong>, upon downloading a ticket through the event’s official website (https:\/\/rafanadalopen.com<\/a>). <\/p>\n\n

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