Rafael Nadal's soul is everywhere here, says Caroline Garcia
by Rudra Biswas- Caroline Garcia has been training at Rafael Nadal's academy, and she has nothing but praise for the facility.
- Garcia also spoke about how Nadal himself trains at the academy, and what kind of energy is present on the grounds.
Rafael Nadal recently welcomed the whole world to his coaching facility, in a video that took the viewers around the city of Mallorca and the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy.
The likes of Andy Murray, Grigor Dimitrov and Naomi Osaka have trained at Rafael Nadal's academy. This list of illustrious players has been further strengthened by the addition of former World No. 4 Caroline Garcia, who was initially stuck in Manacor during quarantine.
Garcia has used the opportunity to train in close proximity with Rafael Nadal, and has nothing but positive things to say about her experience so far.
In an interview with Carole Bouchard, Garcia spilled the beans regarding her time at the academy. Upon being asked if she has had the opportunity to cross paths with Rafael Nadal, Garcia quipped, "I see him, yes. We were at the gym at the same time last week, but now he’s hitting on hard court and me on clay."
Expanding on how she ended up being quarantined in Manacor, Garcia said, "On the eve of the lock-down, we took a flight ticket to get back to Alicante because the academy was closing. We were in the taxi for the airport when the academy called to say it might open again sooner than we thought and that they could find us a flat to stay in."
"We thought it was better to stay because I wasn’t going to be able to train in Alicante. So we came back. Well, it didn’t totally open back sooner but the training conditions were much better than what I’d have got elsewhere", Garcia added.
After finally setting up base at the academy, Caroline Garcia made sure to get some practice in. She got along well with the personnel at the Rafael Nadal Tennis Academy and undertook a lot of new exercises.
Caroline Garcia also praised Rafael Nadal's fighting spirit, which is a feature of not just him but also other Spaniards like David Ferrer and Carla Suarez-Navarro.
“I love the Spanish mentality and I think it can help me," remarked Garcia.
Rafael Nadal's grandmother and aunt are really nice hosts: Garcia
The Frenchwoman went on to talk about how there's a certain vibe at the academy that helps players stay focused.
"It wasn’t always easy to be motivated, whereas here is the opposite, you can find players of every level, lots of young players, and everybody is training hard. Rafael Nadal’s soul is everywhere here, and his uncle Toni is often on the courts and can give you some pieces of advice here and there," Garcia said.
Rafael Nadal returned to the academy a few days after Spain's lock-down restrictions starting being eased. The left-hander shared a video on social media which showed him working hard on the practice court, and Garcia reinforced just how seriously Nadal takes his training sessions.
"When Rafa is around, he’s training here very often so everybody can see him. It’s also the Spanish way: lots of work, lots of hitting, and movements during the practice sessions. It’s interesting and it makes me get out of my old routines," the Frenchwoman said.
Garcia and her long-time coach (and father) Louis-Paul were all praises not only about Rafael Nadal's academy but his family's hospitality as well.
“We know Manacor’s rooftops by heart, because we live in an apartment overlooking them. We went out every evening at 8 pm to applaud, like the whole street. On our right, there was Rafa's grandmother, and Rafa's aunt. They actually hosted us, and were really nice," said Garcia's father.
The French coach also talked in detail about how the academy is very user-friendly, as his 26-year-old daughter trained with upcoming ATP star Jaume Munar.
"There is a family atmosphere that reigns, there is not a feeling that there is Nadal and then the others below. Caroline feels good in this atmosphere dedicated to tennis," Louis-Paul added.
Published 30 May 2020, 00:24 IST