The Hindu : Sport : Nadal Tennis School at Anantapur

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 04, 2009
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Sport

Sport

Nadal Tennis School at Anantapur

A. Joseph Antony

The Mallorcan’s well-known fondness for children prompted him to embark on this project

— Photo: AFP

GOOD Samaritan: Rafael Nadal’s tennis school is expected to become functional by June next year.

HYDERABAD: World No. 1 Rafael Nadal is setting up the Nadal Tennis School (NTS), the first of its kind in the world, at the Anantapur Sports Village (ASV) in the southern Andhra Pradesh town.

This announcement was made recently by his mother Ana Maria Parera, who’s President of the Fundacion Rafa Nadal (the Rafael Nadal Foundation).

“We don’t want mega projects, but to keep our feet on the ground and do our bit,” she said of the venture, work on which will begin in September.

It will come up in collaboration with Fundacion Vincente Ferrer (FVF), the Spanish arm of the Rural Development Trust (RDT), an Anantapur-based NGO.

Four international class clay courts are to come up by New Year day while the academy is expected to become functional by June next year.

“There have been 135 registrations so far for admission to the academy, which will be restricted to children above eight years” said Moncho Ferrer, Associate Programme Director, RDT.

“The facility will host District, State and National-level tournaments.

“Training will be year-long as also monitoring of the progress by the academy’s inmates,” he added.

The magnificent Mallorcan’s well-known fondness for children prompted him to embark on this project, Ana Maria Parera said.

Equal emphasis on education

Equal emphasis will be laid on education in the scheme, which it is hoped, will become residential over time.

“It is easier to teach a child through sport than without it, because children are real sponges and learn faster when having fun,” she reasoned.

Incidentally, it was Spanish hockey international Andreu Enrich, who brought the two foundations together to take this cause forward.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport