The Rafa Nadal Academy has just launched its new Annual Padel Program, an initiative for young players that combines athletic and academic training in a single environment. The program is modeled after the structure of the Annual Tennis Program and is designed to foster the participants’ all-around development, both in sport and in education.
Rodri Ovide will be in charge of the technical side; he is a coach with an extensive background in professional padel and experience training players such as Gemma Triay, Juan Lebrón, Paquito Navarro, Martín Di Nenno, Álex Ruiz, Alejandra Salazar, and Marta Ortega. His methodology focuses on developing technical and tactical skills, understanding the game and decision-making during competition, and adapting training to the individual characteristics of each player.
The program includes technical and tactical training, personalized physical training, psychological support, nutritional guidance, video analysis, competition planning, and periodic assessments to track students’ progress.
The training program will take place at the Rafa Nadal Academy, which has 19 indoor and outdoor padel courts, a high-performance gym, medical services, physical therapy, sports nutrition, and performance-oriented psychological support. Participants will also have access to an international residence with 24-hour supervision and services designed to meet the needs of students and athletes.
In the academic sphere, students can combine sports training with their studies at the Rafa Nadal School, the international school located on campus. The school follows an accredited American curriculum and offers a multicultural environment that allows students to combine their academic education with sports activities.
The program also includes a nutritional plan tailored to the demands of training and competition, overseen by a team led by sports nutritionist Gemma Bes. This service includes monitoring eating habits and meal plans designed to improve performance and recovery.
According to the Academy’s figures, more than 700 students from over 50 nationalities have participated in its annual programs so far, supported by a team of more than 500 professionals.
“The foundation of my method is to develop players who enjoy learning. It’s not about copying models, but about helping each player discover the best version of themselves. We want them to learn to compete, to make decisions, and to understand the game from a deeper perspective,” explains Rodri Ovide.
For her part, Maribel Nadal, Deputy Director General of the Rafa Nadal Academy, emphasizes that the launch of the program is a response to the growing international demand for specialized padel training programs. “When we opened the Academy in 2016, our main focus was high-performance tennis,” she notes, but adds that “over the years we have seen how more and more players from around the world are looking for a comprehensive sports experience.”
The launch of the Annual Padel Program is part of the Rafa Nadal Academy’s growth strategy in the field of padel, a sport in which the organization has intensified its activities in recent years by organizing competitions, the development of the Rafa Nadal Academy Padel Tour and collaborations with professional players like Gemma Triay and Franco Stupaczuk.
