Rafael Nadal opens tennis academy in Mexican Cancun

TENNIS 

MEXICO - The Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal, number 2 of the world ranking of the ATP, opened on Monday a tennis academy in an exclusive tourist resort in the resort of Cancun, in the Mexican Caribbean.

This new academy, located in the town of Costa Mujeres, is an extension outside Spain of the Rafa Nadal Academy that the tennis player has in his native Mallorca.

"We've been here for years and we know the area, and the opportunity to create the first Rafa Nadal Tennis Centre was presented," Nadal told a news conference in Cancun.

The sports centre has eight tennis courts with clay surfaces and lighting, as well as a paddle tennis court, a gymnasium and a clothing and sporting goods store.

In the beginning, the Rafa Nadal Tennis Centre will only serve the guests of the tourist complex and local inhabitants, but according to the tennis player, "one of the medium and long-term objectives is to contribute to the development of tennis in Mexico".

Nadal, 32, will participate next week at the Mexican Tennis Open in the southern resort of Acapulco, also in Mexico.

'La Fiera' of Manacor will seek its third title in this tournament. He previously won it in the 2005 and 2013 editions. Although he appeared in 2018, he had to retire before his first round match due to an injury.