ATP: Nadal reacts sharply to criticism of his tennis academy
Rafael Nadal defends himself against "unjustified" criticism of his tennis academy in Manacor and turns with a letter to a local newspaper in Mallorca.
by Robert M. Frank
last edit: Dec 06, 2019, 10:40 pm
Not only on the tennis court is Rafael Nadal not so easy to overcome. The world number one is not beaten so fast without his tennis racket. The 33-year-old from Manacor has harshly rejected serious allegations of the expansion of his tennis academy in Mallorca. The 84-time ATP tournament winner countered the criticism now with a letter to the local newspaper Manacor Noticias in Spanish. Nadal wrote about his "pain and disappointment" about the "unjustified and defamatory" allegations. "I just wanted to express my feelings of pain and disappointment, and I think you should also have my say about things people say," said the reigning champion at this year's US Open and at Roland Garros.
The Mayor of Manacor, along with local conservation groups and some tourism companies, opposed the recently-approved Rafa Nadal Academy expansion. The expansion will provide more than 40 tennis courts, squash courts, two swimming pools, a soccer field, a fitness center and a hotel with more than 200 rooms. According to El Confidencial, the mayor of the municipality has complained about a lack of discussion about the recent expansion of the academy, which has been approved by the state government. The permit allowed the use of 26 square meters of undeveloped land and a total extension of the plant to more than 73 square meters, without any application for land use or environmental impact assessment.
Contra-cant local fees
"I can assure you that this academy project could have been located in several places around the world, where we were offered important benefits and many facilities," said Nadal. "But even though it was a higher economic burden, I wanted to do it in my house in Manacor, where this project could be positive for my region and the Balearic Islands."
According to El Confidencial, the mayor of the community, Miquel Oliver, has complained about a lack of discussion about the recent expansion of the academy, which has been approved by the state government. He also alleged that the Academy had not paid any local fees.
"Absolutely wrong"
The Spaniard said that the Academy had paid € 735,000 to the municipality for development, created more than three square kilometers of grassland and planned 2.6 square miles more, and that the cost of roadworks would be shared with the council. He added that the Academy employs more than 300 people, uses local construction companies and procures locally wherever it is possible.
The left-hander noted that he had personally donated to an auditorium on the island in 2012 and helped Storm Help in 2018. He also said that his foundation for underprivileged children began with a first location in Mallorca. In addition, Nadal alleged other allegations that the local port of Porto Cristo had to make adjustments to dock his yacht, "absolutely wrong" and that he had "complied with all the usual processes".
The Rafael Nadal Academy also has locations in Mexico and Greece, and another that has just opened in Kuwait.