The academy that Rafa Nadal founded in Manacor in 2016 now has a presence on four continents. After opening in Kuwait, it is preparing a Sport Center in Albania and has several Tennis Centers around the world, driven by the sale of 44.9% to GPF Capital.
The project that Rafa Nadal started in his hometown of Manacor in 2016 has crossed borders to become an international network with centres on four continents. The Rafa Nadal Academy now operates an academy in Kuwait, several Tennis Centres in different countries, and is finalising the opening of a Sport Center in Albania. The recent sale of 44.9% of the company to GPF Capital has given a new boost to this expansion, which the tennis player himself defends as a "lifetime project, very personal."
From Manacor to the World: The Origin of the Empire
The academy opened its doors in Manacor in 2016 with the idea of transmitting to young talents the methodology that led the Mallorcan to win 22 Grand Slam titles. Since then, the complex has continued to grow: it has expanded its facilities, its sports and educational offerings, and has established itself as one of the most important high-performance centres in the world. For example, the Filipino Alexandra Eala has trained there, reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon and is now among the top 30 in the WTA rankings.
For the residents of Manacor, the academy has meant an economic and tourist boost. Every year, hundreds of young tennis players from around the world arrive in the municipality to train, which has revitalised local hospitality and put the city on the international sports map. "It is a pride that the name of Manacor is heard on all continents thanks to Rafa," commented a local hotelier a few months ago.
Kuwait, the First Major International Bet
In 2020, the academy made its first major leap outside Spain with the opening of the Rafa Nadal Academy Kuwait, resulting from an agreement with the Tamdeen Group. The complex faithfully reproduces the model of Manacor and offers training programmes for all ages and levels. Led by former player Nuno Márques and a team of coaches dispatched from Mallorca, the centre aims to become a tennis reference in the Middle East and support the Kuwait Tennis Federation in the development of the sport.
The choice of Kuwait was not casual. Nadal explained in an interview with CNBC that "the business has grown a lot in recent years and we felt we needed help to continue expanding worldwide." That help came with the entry of GPF Capital, which provided capital and expertise to accelerate international growth. The tennis player maintains control of the company, but the operation has allowed him to tackle new projects without losing the essence of the initiative.
Albania, the Next Destination
The next step in the academy's roadmap is Albania, where the opening of a Sport Center is planned in the coming months. Although specific details have not yet been given, sources close to the project indicate that it will be a multi-sport centre that follows the philosophy of the Mallorcan academy. The choice of Albania responds to the interest in expanding in South Eastern Europe, a region with tennis potential and where the Nadal brand has great acceptance.
This international movement poses a logistical and management challenge for the academy's team. Maintaining the training quality and original methodology in centres spread across the world is not an easy task. However, the organisation assures that all centres have coaches trained in Manacor and periodically supervise the level of the facilities.
For the residents of Manacor, the international expansion has a bittersweet reading. On one hand, the pride of seeing how a local project becomes global; on the other, the uncertainty of whether the original centre will lose relative weight. For now, the Manacor academy remains the flagship and the place where the most promising talents are trained. And, who knows, perhaps the next great champion will emerge from a village in Mallorca, just like Rafa did.
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