Ukraine is going through very difficult times, the whole country being in a devastating situation. For this reason, the NGO Llevant en Marxa and the Rafa Nadal Foundation have joined forces to collect food for the families who need it most.

The aim is to collect the food most in demand by families, such as tinned chickpeas, lentils, boiled beans and tomato. They also need condensed and powdered milk and baby food in hermetically sealed glass jars. Children are particularly vulnerable and therefore one of the groups that suffer most from this situation of need.

The collection will take place from 16 to 28 March, when the convoy will leave Mallorca for Catalonia by boat. From there, with the help of staff from Manacor, it will travel by lorry to the Ukrainian border with Slovakia where it will be stored in a warehouse and delivered personally to Ukrainian families by a team of Ukrainian staff. At all times we will be supervising the distribution to ensure all the food reaches those it is intended for.  

In collaboration with the Rafa Nadal Foundation and the NGO Llevant en Marxa, and with the aim of supporting this important cause, two collection points have been set up and will be open until the 28th of March:

-          Rafa Nadal Club Reception

-          Reception of the Rafa Nadal International School / Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar

In addition, the full proceeds from the purchase of tickets to the Rafa Nadal Museum in the second half of the month will go towards the purchase of food for this cause.

The Rafa Nadal Foundation has been working for ten years with the firm conviction that sport and education are tools for change with which we can achieve a better world. If you would like to know more about a major part of this great family, you can do so through their website: www.fundacionrafanadal.org or by subscribing to their newsletter.

 Thank you all very much for your generosity!

“Siempre trabajo con una meta: mejorar como jugador y como persona”. Esta frase de Rafa Nadal simboliza el ADN de la Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar que, gracias a la combinación de un exigente plan de entrenamientos tenísticos con un sistema académico americano, forma a los jóvenes jugadores en los valores, virtudes y aptitudes del propio Rafa.

Los alumnos de la Academia reciben una formación humana en la que se potencia el desarrollo y la puesta en práctica de virtudes como el esfuerzo, humildad, tolerancia, paciencia, respeto, integridad, disciplina, orden y el compromiso.

Para poder llevar a cabo esta formación, la Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar dispone de un equipo de personas y entrenadores especializados en diferentes áreas de docencia que ayudan de manera constante a los estudiantes, motivándoles a perseverar ante las adversidades y acompañándoles en su día a día. 

Con una dilatada trayectoria en equipos de prestigio como el Benfica, el Head of Psychology de la Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar Carlos Fernandes ha sido el encargado de diseñar una metodología basada en los valores de Rafa Nadal. A través de un plan docente compuesto por 3 pilares.

Todos los días, antes de comenzar sus clases académicas los alumnos asisten a la asignatura “Sport Science: Building a Champion” en el que se abordan a lo largo de 10 meses diferentes materias concernientes al comportamiento, destrezas, aptitudes y valores aplicadas a lo que sucede tanto dentro como fuera de la pista de tenis. Los lunes la temática de la clase está centrada en el tenis, los martes se aborda la nutrición y la preparación física, los jueves la psicología y los valores y el viernes se trabaja la técnica a través de la tecnología y el video análisis

Lunes: Técnica, estrategia y desarrollo de aptitudes dentro de la pista.

Martes: Nutrición y preparación física

Jueves: Psicología y Valores

Viernes: video análisis

De manera complementaria, una vez a la semana todos los alumnos asisten a una sesión de media hora en la que, de manera participativa e interactiva, se refuerza el papel de los valores citados anteriormente.

A través de un sistema de gamificación, los profesores, entrenadores, preparadores físicos y tutores académicos puntúan cada semana a los jugadores en función del desarrollo de sus valores y comportamiento en 4 áreas: Colegio, tenis, fitness y boarding.

El propósito final es el de motivar a los jugadores e integrar estos valores en su comportamiento diario con objetivos semanales, trimestrales y anuales.

One of the most legendary rivalries in the history of tennis is that of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. They have crossed paths in competition a total of 40 times, with a balance of 24 victories to the Spaniard and 16 to the Swiss. But, do you remember the first time these two giants of the game clashed on a tennis court in singles? To find it you have to go back to 28 March 2004, when the ATP Masters 1000 in Miami brought them together in the first round.

The match only lasted 70 minutes, time during which Rafa strung together two consecutive sets (6-3, 6-3) to bring an abrupt end to a 12-win streak and become the second man that season –along with the then No. 10 Tim Henman- to break through the Swiss wall in the 25 matches he had played until that point. “I was very worried about him beating me 6-1, 6-1 or 6-1, 6-2, but I really wanted to play this match against the world number one”, recognised the Balearic Islander at the time. “I went out onto the court with a positive attitude, not with an attitude of trying to win the match. I’m really happy because I played one of the best matches of my career”.

The Spaniard was practically flawless on his serve (81% on first serves) and gave his opponent no chances to break while taking advantage of 3 of the 7 opportunities he enjoyed himself. “I was impressed with what I saw”, confessed Federer realising that in Key Biscayne he had met a player that would cause him plenty more problems in the future. However, the Swiss did not try to hide the fact that the victory was no surprise. “I’ve heard a lot about him and I’ve seen some of his matches”, he said after their first duel. “I don’t think it’s a big surprise to anyone”.

It was the twelfth defeat that Federer had suffered in his career at the hands of a Spanish opponent and now eight had beaten him: Joan Balcells, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Sergi Bruguera, Álex Corretja, Francisco Clavet, Albert Costa, Félix Mantilla and Nadal himself. “I’m very happy because I played one of the best matches of my life. Obviously he didn’t play his best tennis and that’s why I was able to beat him”, explained a 17-year-old Rafa. “If he’d played his best tennis, I wouldn’t have had a chance. But that’s what happens in tennis. If a player like me plays very, very well and a top player like Roger doesn’t play his best, you can win. I’m very, very happy”.

The Manacor native could never have imagined that that match would not just be one of many in his career, but the first in a legendary series. “I’ve only played at Wimbledon, where I reached the third round and in the US Open where I played in the second round. Then, in Australia I lost to Hewitt in three sets. I need to play in Paris, where I’ve never been. There it’s different, because they are clay courts, but I think that physically I’m not such a limited player”, he said in an attempt to define himself after that famous result.

At the time, Nadal tried to take importance away from it. Was his telephone overloaded with messages? “I don’t think so because it’s four in the morning in Spain and everyone is sleeping”, came his answer. “Tomorrow, the newspapers won’t include news of it, but maybe online and on Teletext... Then, I’ll start to get calls”.

That first singles match (the previous week they had met in a doubles tie at Indian Wells) provided the foundations for a rivalry that is remarkable not only for their talent and passion, but also for their camaraderie, sportsmanship and respect. Twelve years after that match, Roger Federer was the man chosen by Rafa to officially open his Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar.

The evolution of tennis often brings with it a barrier that makes it difficult for the young players to break into the ATP elite. The ability of the veterans to extend their careers ever longer is the greatest handicap encountered by young hopefuls when it comes to finding their way on tour. However, there is always space for a star to shine brightly in the darkness. And that was the case of Rafa Nadal, who managed to open his account of professional victories at just 15 years of age, still making him the youngest player to win his first ATP match.

It happened on 29 April 2002. Nadal was just 15 years and 330 days old and occupying No. 762 in the world, when he received an invitation to the ATP tournament in Mallorca. The draw presented him with a first-round match against Paraguayan player Ramón Delgado, ranked at No. 81 in the world. In one hour and 23 minutes, the Manacor native took the spoils from his first ATP Tour experience with a 6-4, 6-4 victory. It would be the first of the 990 victories under his belt today.

“I’m still waiting for my share of your winnings, because everything started with me and I gave you the confidence to join the tour”, Delgado joked years later on social media as he faced the Spaniard again at Roland Garros, when he had already conquered the Philippe Chatrier. “I’m not at all ashamed about it now. Now, I even use it to my advantage. I don’t know if pride is the word, but at least... I don’t know! I made an impact on his excellent career”, he recognises now, so long after that encounter.

On that day, Nadal wrote the first chapter of his brilliant story. And this season, Carlos Alcaraz dusted off the feat of precocity by snapping at the Balearic Islander’s heals. Last February in Rio de Janeiro he claimed his first ATP victory at 16 years of age by beating Albert Ramos Viñolas. He was the youngest Spaniard to do so since that April in 2002, making space for himself on a podium that also includes Tommy Robredo. The Catalan sealed his first victory at 16 in Barcelona in 1999, beating the Italian Davide Sanguinetti.

There are others though, besides this trio, that can lay claim to being a young gun. Three names appear on the list of active Spaniards to have won their first ATP match at 18. The first of them is a player from the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar; Jaume Munar. Two months after reaching adulthood, and still at No. 683 in the world, he received an invitation to play in the ATP 500 tournament in Hamburg and managed to open his win account there against the then world No. 28 Guillermo García López.

Fernando Verdasco found his first victory in Sopot in 2002 at 18 years and 8 months of age. The Madrid native won his first round match at the Polish tournament against Mariano Puerta in three sets. While an also recently-18 Nicola Kuhn managed to add his name to this select list. He made the most of an invitation to the ATP Masters 1000 in Miami, where he saw off Darian King to seal the first of two victories to his name today.

Of the remaining active Spaniards: Feliciano López and Alejandro Davidovich won their first match at 19 years of age; Guillermo García López, Daniel Gimeno Traver and Carlos Taberner at 20; Marcel Granollers, Roberto Carballés and Bernabé Zapata, at 21; Pablo Carreño, Albert Ramos and Pedro Martínez, at 22; Roberto Bautista, at 23; Ricardo Ojeda, at 24; Oriol Roca, at 25; and Adrián Menéndez, at 29.