Besides playing tennis, one of Rafael Nadal’s great gifts to his fans is building the Rafael Nadal Tennis Academy. It offers students a unique chance to learn tennis combined with education. At the 2024 Wimbledon, where Nadal is notably absent, his tennis academy paid tribute to two of the greatest players to pick up a racquet – Serena Williams and Roger Federer.
It recently shared a slew of pictures on its Instagram page, showing off the various features from every branch of the Academy.
It also has a London branch with an English-themed breakfast. This would make many think that they are also at Wimbledon – the home of tennis. The pictures not only displayed the aesthetics of their Academy, but they also had pictures of famous and most notable champions holding their trophies from the past.
While Nadal’s picture was a given, pictures of Serena and Federer were also hanging from different mantelpieces. A tribute to Federer was a must. The Swiss giant won Wimbledon 8 times – more than any other male player in history. He was also Nadal’s biggest rival and one of his closest friends for over 20 years.
Among the many finals they played together, Nadal and Federer also played in the thrilling 2008 Wimbledon finals. In the end, Nadal beat Federer 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-7 (8-10), 9-7 in the final.
There was also a tribute to the elder Williams sister in those pictures. Serena won the Wimbledon singles championships 7 times.
Rafael Nadal Misses Wimbledon and He Proves It With This
The way the Rafael Nadal Tennis Academy timed the Instagram post in the middle of Wimbledon, it is trying to send a message that Nadal is missing Wimbledon. Despite Nadal’s 14 French Open titles, the 2008 Wimbledon win is what propelled the Spaniard to superstardom in many people’s eyes.
It also dispels the myth about Nadal not taking grass-court events seriously and that it’s his ‘Achilles Heel’. Nadal is nearing the end of his career and would like to end on a high with a win. And he figured the best way for him to do that is playing on his favorite surface – clay. Currently, he is preparing for the Paris Olympics.
