Rafa Nadal, one of the greatest sporting figures and tennis players of all-time has become a new ambassador of the Saudi Tennis Federation (STF) as part of a long-term commitment to help grow the sport and inspire a new generation of athletes in Saudi Arabia.
Nadal will now look to accelerate the momentum which has been building across the entire tennis ecosystem from the grassroots up. In 2023 an estimated 30,000 school children took their first steps in tennis thanks to the ‘Tennis For All’ program, a unique partnership between the STF and Saudi Sports For All Federation, which saw tennis introduced to the physical education curriculum in 90 schools. Future plans are already in place to roll the program out in 200 schools in 2024 and 400 in 2025.
Today Saudi Arabia is home to 177 tennis clubs, up 146% since 2019. In the last four years, the number of registered players has increased by 46% to 2,300 and under-14 players by 100% - from 500 to +1,000. STF also now holds 40 national tournaments annually – including hosting three ITF Juniors tournaments in the past year.
Speaking on his new role as an ambassador to the Saudi Tennis Federation, Nadal said; “Everywhere you look in Saudi Arabia, you can see growth and progress and I’m excited to be part of that. I continue to play tennis as I love the game. But beyond playing I want to help the sport grow far and wide across the world and in Saudi there is real potential. The kids here today are looking to the future and have a real passion for all sports. If I can help them pick up a racquet or simply get fit and enjoy the benefits of healthy living, then I’ll be happy to have made a difference.”
Nadal will now look to accelerate the momentum which has been building across the entire tennis ecosystem from the grassroots up. In 2023 an estimated 30,000 school children took their first steps in tennis thanks to the ‘Tennis For All’ program, a unique partnership between the STF and Saudi Sports For All Federation, which saw tennis introduced to the physical education curriculum in 90 schools. Future plans are already in place to roll the program out in 200 schools in 2024 and 400 in 2025.
Today Saudi Arabia is home to 177 tennis clubs, up 146% since 2019. In the last four years, the number of registered players has increased by 46% to 2,300 and under-14 players by 100% - from 500 to +1,000. STF also now holds 40 national tournaments annually – including hosting three ITF Juniors tournaments in the past year.
Speaking on his new role as an ambassador to the Saudi Tennis Federation, Nadal said; “Everywhere you look in Saudi Arabia, you can see growth and progress and I’m excited to be part of that. I continue to play tennis as I love the game. But beyond playing I want to help the sport grow far and wide across the world and in Saudi there is real potential. The kids here today are looking to the future and have a real passion for all sports. If I can help them pick up a racquet or simply get fit and enjoy the benefits of healthy living, then I’ll be happy to have made a difference.”
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00:00 Difficult to say, but at the end the most important thing in this life in my opinion is the personal satisfaction.
00:07 So if you are able to improve every single day, you realize yourself.
00:12 I was invited by the STF to come join the Mahd Academy.
00:18 I enjoyed playing here with other players, it's a fun experience to come.
00:22 We practiced for about 15 minutes, all of a sudden Rafa Nadal entered the court.
00:26 Guys, who is team Rafa?
00:37 Today is about opportunities for the new generation.
00:41 For me the goal is to promote tennis all around the country and to create the infrastructure to create players growing with very positive values, education, with a team spirit, to have the possibility to practice the sport in the best way possible.
00:55 He is a big role model, one of the best players of all time.
00:59 So seeing him here today definitely felt surreal, not only for me, I think for all the young kids in the kingdom.
01:03 And hopefully that will encourage more kids to start playing and produce high level players on the court very very soon.
01:08 I think Rafa is a superb role model.
01:11 He has so many great values that he transmits through playing tennis.
01:16 Tennis is a sport that teaches you a lot of things in life and what better way than to have Rafa represent that.
01:22 After today I have chosen to put all my passion into tennis.
01:26 It's a big opportunity to develop in a country that is investing a lot in a sport to encourage the younger generations to be more involved in tennis and in the world of the racket.
01:43 It's a big opportunity to develop important things in a country that has the potential to grow.
01:51 A country that is opening and is investing a lot in a sport.
01:57 I really hope that we can achieve the goals that the country wants.
02:04 Probably the biggest goal is to encourage more and more people, especially the younger generations, to practice the sport.
02:16 I think tennis, but sport in general, has a lot of positive things.
02:30 For me the goal is to promote tennis all around the country and to encourage the younger generations to be more involved in tennis and in the world of the racket.
02:42 For me it's about what the kids deserve.
02:52 The kids deserve an opportunity. Something that they probably didn't have here a few years ago.
03:02 That's the truth. Today is about opportunities for the new generations.
03:09 To watch important events here, I think that encourages them to have positive examples next to them and to try to have a dream to be like them.
03:22 At the same time it's an opportunity to give the kids the real chance to practice the sport in good conditions.
03:34 For me personally, I see the impact that the academy is having in Mallorca and the impact that the academy has on the kids.
03:44 In terms of education, in terms of growing, of course like tennis players, but in terms of growing like a human being.
03:51 I am really 100% sure that that makes a big difference here in the future.
04:01 If that makes a difference in a country like Spain, where we have a big tradition in sports and tennis,
04:10 I can't imagine how big a difference it can be if we are able to create the right programme,
04:18 the right facilities and to promote the proper way tennis in a region that has the potential to become an important reference.
04:31 I really believe that the countries have the determination to not only bring things from outside, but to create things inside the country.
04:43 My goal here is to create something that the people here in Saudi feel proud about,
04:51 feel that their kids can enjoy and they have the possibility to practice the sport in the best way possible.
05:01 I think the approach that the country is doing in that way is the appropriate approach in terms of trying to bring the best things from around the world here in the country.
05:16 Not only to have events, but to create the infrastructure to create players to see them later grow in the future.
05:28 What is your opinion on the long term?
05:32 When I am doing things, normally I always believe in the long term.
05:37 I don't believe in the short term, because normally the short term really doesn't have the impact that you want to create.
05:47 In a short period of time you cannot make a difference, you cannot see the results,
05:53 you cannot follow the improvements, the evolution of the projects.
05:58 So that's why I believe in the long term projects,
06:01 and especially here that in talking about sports, it's a very young country,
06:06 the commitment needs to be at the long term if we really want to try to make a difference in that matter.
06:17 It's difficult to have a clear expectation after one year outside of the Tour.
06:23 I really don't know how I'm going to feel.
06:26 I'm quite happy that I'm able to practice today, more or less in a good condition.
06:33 I'm excited to be back, that's the main thing for me.
06:39 It's been a year that I had a lot of doubts if I will have the chance to be back on the Tour again.
06:46 I know that's going to happen in January, so let's see.
06:51 Let's go step by step, now I'm in a preparation moment,
06:56 then let's see how I can arrive to the beginning of the season.
07:00 In my mind, it's the first couple of months of the season,
07:06 I'm trying to recover a little bit all the things that I have lost for one year.
07:13 Let's see if I'm able to recover things that I need to be competitive again.
07:19 I'm just excited to be back on the Tour and let's see for how long.
07:22 Novak did again an amazing season, Alcaraz did another great season too.
07:28 Siner have been doing an unbelievable, big improvement.
07:32 A lot of good players, a lot of young players,
07:38 of course they are making a step forward as is normal in a Tour like this.
07:46 Some champions are leaving and new generations are coming.
07:50 Nothing surprising me in that matter, but it's going to be exciting.
07:56 Let's see for how long Novak can hold this amazing level
08:00 and how much the young players can push Novak on the next season.
08:06 I think it's a different story.
08:12 I think Andy had a big problem in a younger age than me.
08:19 I had plenty of problems before that,
08:23 but not as long as this one and not as long as Andy had.
08:31 It's different circumstances without a doubt, but in the end it's all about passion.
08:37 It's about love for the game and giving yourself the opportunity
08:43 to keep enjoying the things that you like to do.
08:46 Without passion and without love for the game, the rest of the things are super difficult.
08:51 If you don't like to play tennis, how can I say to a kid that doesn't like to play tennis
08:56 to come every day to a practice court and to give their best,
09:01 to practice with the highest intensity possible for three hours per day,
09:05 to go to the gym, to practice when they are not feeling very well,
09:09 to practice and give their best when you are tired from school or other stuff.
09:14 It's difficult. If you don't have the passion for what you are doing,
09:17 the rest of the things are difficult.
09:19 So the first step, I told the kids, you need to be passionate about what you are doing.
09:24 If you are not passionate, you need to find another thing,
09:26 because you are going to find your passion all your life.
09:29 But whatever you do, do it with passion, because if you do it with passion,
09:35 then you are going to find a way to improve every single day.
09:38 At the end, not everybody is going to be a professional athlete,
09:42 not everybody is going to be a successful tennis player,
09:45 but at the end of the day, everybody can improve every single day.
09:51 Until what level? Difficult to say, but at the end,
09:56 the most important thing in this life, in my opinion, is the personal satisfaction.
10:00 So if you are able to improve every single day, you realise yourself.