Rafa’s team is now complete. David Ferrer and Carlos Moyà will be the final two members of the team led by Rafa Nadal at the Rafa Nadal Academy Slam, an exhibition tournament that will take place this Saturday, October 3rd, in Manacor, and will bring together some of the most prominent figures in tennis from recent decades.
Nadal, a winner of 22 Grand Slam titles, will team up with Ferrer, Moyà, and Richard Gasquet to face Murray’s team, consisting of Andy Murray, Dominic Thiem, Marat Safin, and Fabio Fognini. The doubles match will be one of the highlights of the Rafa Nadal Academy’s tenth-anniversary celebrations and will also have special significance: it will mark Nadal’s return to the court for a match since his retirement from professional tennis at the 2024 Davis Cup finals.
The presence of Ferrer and Moyà will once again bring three of the great names of a generation that helped turn Spanish tennis into an international powerhouse together on the court. Nadal, Ferrer, and Moyà will be on the same team decades after competing together on the biggest stages of the tour, and particularly in the Davis Cup, where the so-called Spanish Armada wrote some of the most significant chapters in its history.
Three races that defined an era
For many years, David Ferrer was one of the leading figures in Spanish tennis and one of the most consistent players of his generation. He reached number 3 in the ATP rankings, won 27 titles, and captured the Paris Masters 1000 in 2012. He also reached the final of Roland Garros in 2013 and the ATP Finals in 2007.
His career is particularly closely tied to the Davis Cup. Ferrer was part of the Spanish teams that won the tournament in 2008, 2009, and 2011 and, years later, took on the role of national team captain. In this role, he coached Rafa Nadal in his final competition as a professional: the Davis Cup finals held in Malaga in 2024.
Carlos Moyà is another key figure in this same story. He was the first Spanish tennis player to reach the No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings, won 20 titles during his career, and triumphed at Roland Garros in 1998. His connection with Nadal also dates back to the Davis Cup: both were part of the Spanish team that lifted the trophy in Seville in 2004.
The relationship between the two later extended beyond competition. At the end of 2016, Moyà joined Nadal’s coaching team ahead of the 2017 season and has since played a key role in one of the Mallorcan’s most successful periods. His involvement in the project also extends to the Rafa Nadal Academy.
An anniversary with international scope
The Rafa Nadal Academy Slam will be one of the most important events celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Academy in Manacor. The event will bring together several generations of champions in Mallorca and, for one day, will transform the Academy’s court into a meeting point for some of the biggest stars in world tennis.
Beyond the exhibition nature of the match, the lineup offers a journey through much of the sport’s recent history: Grand Slam champions, world number ones, Davis Cup legends, and key figures from a generation that transformed the position of Spanish tennis on the international circuit.
For Christmas, he will also mark a symbolic return to competition. After ending his professional career in November 2024, the 22-time Grand Slam winner will return to the court to play a match at a venue closely linked to his legacy: the Academy that bears his name and which, ten years after its creation, has become one of the main sporting projects to emerge around his figure.
