Rafael Nadal invites some of the most esteemed personalities to visit the Rafael Nadal Academy. Over the past few years, Nadal has also given numerous accomplished individuals such as Roger Federer, Pau Gasol, Maria Sharapova, Iga Swiatek, and many others, the honor of presiding the graduation ceremonies in the past. Carlos Moya is the latest to be bestowed with this privilege.
The Class of 2024 of the Rafael Nadal Academy and the Rafael Nadal Schools will be in the esteemed company of Carlos Moya as their guest of honor. As revealed by the academy, via Instagram, Moya will succeed the group consisting of Pau Gasol, David Ferrer, Ona Carbonell, Ricky Rubio, and Iga Swiatek from last year.
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Carlos Moya had a successful career on the ATP Tour for 15 years, winning a Grand Slam and 3 ATP Masters 1000 titles, and was also the World’s No.1 ranked player for a few months. However, the Spaniard has been best known for being a crucial part of Rafa’s coaching team. Even before joining on board as Nadal’s coach in 2017, Moya helped Toni Nadal to develop the southpaw’s skills further.
Under the guidance of Moya, the Mallorca native reached 10 Grand Slam finals and won 8 major titles. However, Moya’s greatest contribution towards the 22-time Grand Slam winner has been his ability to elongate the latter’s career despite it being injury-riddled.
Certainly, some of the best up-and-coming players from the Rafa Nadal Academy would like to pick Carlos Moya’s brain during the upcoming memorable event.
Rafael Nadal Academy has produced several talented professionals
While Rafael Nadal is lauded for being one of the greatest tennis players ever, he is also recognized for finding talent and developing them into top players.
Over the years, the Rafa Nadal Academy has produced several fine talents. Casper Ruud is unarguably the biggest name of all. The 25-year-old has been among the top-10 ranked ATP players for the past few years. He’s also won 12 ATP titles and reached the Grand Slam finals a total of 3 times.
Jaume Munar is yet another youngster with incredible potential who is an alum of the Rafa Nadal Academy. The 27-year-old hasn’t won any ATP-level title yet. But, he’s managed to rack up a career earnings of $3.8 million.
The academy has given rise to several skilful female players. However, no player has been more successful than Alex Eala. A student of the Rafa Nadal Academy since she was 12 years old, Eala has won 3 Grand Slams in the junior category. The 19-year-old is getting better with age and is slowly becoming a household name on the WTA Tour.
While the academy is often criticized for being overpriced, there is no denying that the guidance received by the players is one-of-its-kind. It won’t be surprising to see the Mallorca-based academy foster the growth of several other top ATP and WTA professionals in the years to come.
