Rafael Nadal is one of the greatest tennis players the world has ever witnessed. The Spaniard awed everyone with his skills and resilience, and it was only a matter of time before he passed on his expertise. Nadal founded the Rafael Nadal Academy in 2016 to raise a new generation of stars. However, after one trainee spoke out, the academy found itself in a bit of a sticky spot.
Nadal set up the academy in Manacor, his hometown. Rafa’s uncle, Toni Nadal, is also heavily involved with the institute. Ariana Geerlings, one of the academy prospects, criticized their methods of training students.
Geerlings quit the academy recently and is trying to find her place in the world of competitive tennis. She highlighted some of the problems she faced while honing her skills in Manacor. The teen spoke of the extensive workload she had to endure at the elite institute, under the tutelage of Toni.
“They take the same philosophy as Rafa, a lot of training and little rest, totally focused on the track. That caused many injuries because no one has Rafa’s physique,” she said (via Daily Express).
Geerlings added that following Nadal’s formula was not working out for a lot of them. The young players had to train 5 hours a day with no rest, which contributed to injuries. She feels that since each player is different, having a different approach for each person would be beneficial.
Rafael Nadal is renowned for his fighting spirit and recently announced his plans to make a comeback to tennis. Therefore, Ariana’s comments might not sit well with him. However, the youngster also had a lot of praise for the 22-time Grand Slam champion.
Ariana Geerlings had high praise for Rafael Nadal
The Spaniard is a highly skilled player. For all his strength and ferocity on the court, Nadal is a real gentleman off the court. He has won the Stefan Edberg Award five times for his sportsmanship, too. Geerlings also acknowledged Nadal’s humility in a recent interview.
The youngster added that Nadal could come across as very imposing due to his status. However, in reality, Nadal was very down-to-earth.
“He imposes even more, but he’s a very good guy. You may think that a player of that level could walk around the club as if he were the king of the mambo, but Rafa is the opposite,” she said.
Rafael Nadal had been sidelined for the majority of the year due to his unfortunate injury. But his announcement to return next year has fans buzzing to see him play again.