Upcoming tennis star Ariana Geerling recently left the Rafael Nadal Academy and shared her opinion of the training regime followed which has led to injuries among the young tennis players.
Rafael Nadal founded The Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain in 2014 and it began its operations in 2016. The tennis academy combines tennis and education so that students can continue their tennis career without sacrificing their studies. It is now one of the world’s leading sports centers with world-class facilities and infrastructure.
In a recent interview with Punto De Break, the 18-year-old Spanish tennis player Ariana Geerlings who is active in the ITF tournaments, shed some light on the academy. She was all praise for the facilities and the infrastructure provided but the training standard is what made it a little difficult for her to continue.
According to Geerlings, the academy relies on the same philosophy as the 22-time Grand Slam champion which is a lot of training and little rest. It has resulted in injuries among the young athletes as they could not cope with the pace of the training routine.
“They try to rely a lot on their career. They train for many hours and Toni (Nadal) is very present. He trained me a lot. They take the same philosophy as Rafa, a lot of training and little rest, totally focussed on the court. That caused many injuries because no one has Rafa’s physique. Many of us couldn’t keep up with the pace of training five hours a day and not having any rest days.“
– Ariana Geerlings in an interview
Geerlings decided to leave the Rafael Nadal Academy after three years and return to her hometown Murcia. However, she expressed the overwhelming experience she had there.
“Very cool, they supported me from the first day. Maybe, I left when I was very young, you move away from your parents and that is hard, although it was good for me to mature and realize the sacrifice that this career entails.”
– Ariana Geerlings in an interview
Arthur Fils is delighted to train with Rafael Nadal before the 22-time champion’s comeback
Rafael Nadal who has been out of action since January 2023 is all set to make his return at the Brisbane International.
Before heading to Australia, he would be headed to train at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Zahra, Kuwait. He would carry out his training sessions from 8-15 December before he moves back to Spain for Christmas.
Rafa Nadal invited Arthur Fils to train with him for a week in Kuwait, starting December 8:
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) December 1, 2023
"He very kindly invited me. I'm going to give it my all. I'm going to try not to get too carried away on his forehands (smiles). I'm going to get the most out of it." (via @QuentinMoynet)… pic.twitter.com/bwLOr7v3xZ
Arthur Fils, who is currently playing at the ATP Next Gen Finals in Saudi Arabia will also head to Kuwait to accompany the Spaniard in training. The 19-year-old expressed his delight at receiving the invitation from the 22-time Grand Slam winner.
“He [Rafael Nadal] very kindly invited me. I’m going to give it my all and try not to fly away too much on his forehands! I’m going to make the most of it.”
-Arthur Fils in an interview
