After a hurricane struck the Balearic Islands overnight on Monday, portions of Rafael Nadal’s Tennis Academy are under water.
Intense rain and windy weather were delivered to Mallorca, the location of the tennis complex, by the catastrophic storm.
The Academy was established in 2016 and is renowned for its innovative tennis programs that are taught to Majorca’s future tennis stars.
However, images circulated following the storm reveal multiple flooded tennis courts, with a significant cleanup effort to come.
The Academy’s official X account posted an update that said, “After the huge [rain emoji], thank you all very much for your messages of love.”
“What matters is that we are all doing well and trying to return to our regular lives at the academy as quickly as possible.” We appreciate the work of the maintenance crews and the island’s fire department, @BombersdeMca!
The island and the Rafa Nadal Academy have experienced weather-related damage before. In 2018, Nadal participated in the cleanup effort following Mallorca’s devastating floods.
In addition, the 22-time Grand Slam champion made the Academy a makeshift shelter for people who had nowhere to stay during the storms.
“Sad day in Majorca,” Nadal wrote on social media at the time. My deepest sympathies go out to the families of those killed and injured in Sant Llorenc’s devastating floods.
“As we did yesterday, we are providing the @rnadalacademy’s facilities to anyone in need of lodging today.”
The now 38-year-old and the Academy’s employees will probably have a difficult time to clear up Monday’s storm’s aftermath, which could be costly.
Nadal is preparing to retire from tennis at the end of the year, so it comes at a hectic moment.
When Rafael Nadal competes in the Davis Cup Finals next month, it is anticipated that this will be his last match as a tennis player.
Since the Spanish team was drawn to play the Netherlands in the quarterfinals, it is currently unknown who his final opponent will be.
The victor of that match will play either Canada or Germany in the semi-finals.
If the King of Clay and his Spanish rivals advance past that point, Nadal might face tennis greats from Argentina, Australia, Italy, or the United States in his final professional match.
On November 21, the 2024 Davis Cup Finals will begin play in Malaga.