“He really helps us to progress faster,” Rafael Nadal Academy’s student Abedallah Shelbayh gives all credit to his recent success
Rafael Nadal helped young Jordanian emerging superstar Abedallah Shelbayh. He is very grateful for the advice of the 22-time Grand Slam champion.
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Rafael Nadal and Abedallah Shelbayh
Rafael Nadal‘s contribution to the sport is immense, and it is not limited to his personal glories. The 22-time Grand Slam champion has worked hard to make the sport popular in all parts of the world. To teach tennis enthusiasts who want to dedicate their whole lives to this glorious sport, he started the Rafa Nadal Academy.
This is a genuine hotbed of budding and future superstars in tennis. Many active and former players are associated with this prestigious institution. Casper Ruud, Iga Swiatek, and Felix Auger-Aliassime often flock to the courts here to fine-tune their games and practice.
Besides their regular programs, the Academy also tries to bring talented players into their fold and give them ample opportunities to thrive. A recent example is of Abedallah Shelbayh. He is a young talent who hails from Jordan and was spotted by Toni Nadal in 2017.
He is currently ranked No. 276 in the world, however, he has become the first Jordanian player to reach the final of a Challenger tournament in Manama, Bahrain, at the tender age of 19 years. Although he lost to Thanasi Kokkinakis in the final, he was able to impress everyone. However, he gave credit for his incredible performance to Rafael Nadal, Carlos Moya, and the Rafa Nadal Academy.
“One day I got a call from Carlos Moya asking me if I wanted to train with Rafael Nadal. Between two tournaments, he often returns to the academy and trains regularly with the boarders. We had several sessions, and there is a good relationship that has been created between him and Carlos Moya. It’s an incredible experience, a great chance. You learn so much by sharing the court with him. And it gives me so much confidence to see that we can deserve to be hit by him. “He gives a lot of advice and really helps us to progress faster,” he was reported to have said in an interaction with journalists.
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Bjorn Borg praised Rafael Nadal
The 2023 season did not start on a happy note for Rafael Nadal. He lost crucial singles matches against Cameron Norrie and Alex de Minaur in the United Cup 2023. Following this, he participated in the 2023 Australian Open. However, he looked like a shadow of his former glorious self. He was the defending champion, but the spark was missing from his game. The 36-year-old somehow managed to win his first-round match against Jack Draper, however, could lose to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of the competition.
He is scheduled to remain out of action for many months because his hip injury suddenly resurfaced during his second-round match at Melbourne Park. However, the world waits for his return. Many expect him to make a comeback of sorts from injury in the 2023 French Open. He is the defending champion and winner here 14 times.
Meanwhile, one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Bjorn Borg has complemented the Spaniard for his work ethic and discipline. He noticed Rafael Nadal’s insane commitment to the game during the Laver Cup.
“We used to spend five or six hours a day practicing. At the Laver Cup, they used to open the courts at 6 am because Rafa would just serve for an hour before he actually started practice. I have never seen a player spend so much time on a tennis court. He’s one of the greats; he commits so much time to his game. It’s unbelievable,” he said.
Bjorn Borg is the captain of Team Europe in the Laver Cup. Rafael Nadal is an important member of this team.
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Abhar Indorkar
(451 Articles Published)