Serving Larchmont Village, Hancock Park, and the Greater Wilshire neighborhoods of Los Angeles since 2011.

Rafa Nadal Academy At Los Angeles Tennis Club

Local junior tennis players participate in Rafa Nadal’s Academy summer camp at LA Tennis Club. (l-r) Megan Yoon, LATC guest, Loulou Zapata, Katerina Vayser, Sydney Brown, Emily Redwood and Rose Sarner

If you’re a tennis fan, you are deep into Manic Monday, the busiest day at the Championships, Wimbledon,  or more commonly referred to as just Wimbledon,  now being played at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London. Manic Monday follows the only day of rest in the two week-long tournament that takes place on the middle Sunday, which was yesterday. But today, professional players are back out on all seventeen grass courts playing throughout the day and into the evening including grand slam champion Rafa Nadal, who won his way into the quarterfinals of the tournament.

While Nadal was preparing for Wimbledon,  staff from his eponymous academy were in Los Angeles in June at the historic Los Angeles Tennis Club, offering local kids and adults a chance to work with young professionals trained at Nadal’s Academy in Mallorca Spain.  Sporting Global, an international sports branding company, teamed up with Nadal’s academy to bring summer camps and clinics to Los Angeles, taught by the official training staff from Nadal’s Academy. The Los Angeles Tennis Club in Hancock Park was the first U.S. location in LA to host the program. After LATC, Nadal’s team moved to two more locations in Manhattan Beach.

By teaming up with Sporting Global, Nada’s Academy has the opportunity to make new fans around the world, explained Alfonso Heredia, of Sporting Global.

“We help create new fans for the Nadal brand,” said Heredia. “All the teaching staff has been trained by Uncle Tony, Nadal’s coach, who also runs the Academy, it’s very authentic.”

Adults players told the Buzz they really enjoyed the opportunity learn from other professionals and participate in fast-paced drills to improve overall play and strategies for doubles.

“You expand the opportunities for a winning shot when you expand the definition of what a winning shot can be,” explained tennis instructor Alexandra to our group of players.

Junior players were encouraged to focus on consistency, keep the ball in play and be more strategic about playing aggressive tennis,  Sydney Brown, a Brookside resident,  told the Buzz.

“They are focusing a lot more on absorption shots,” Brown explained, “if you get a ball that’s deep, you should be returning a ball that’s deep and only when your opponent lets you into the court should you take things off the rise and be more aggressive,  then you can aim for the lines.”

If you missed the Nadal Academy, LATC is currently offering summer camp to members and non-members. Sorry, camp is for kids only but non-members are always welcome to take lessons with LATC’s accomplished tennis professionals.

The summer camp offered junior players lots of time hitting balls against each other.
Historic Los Angeles Tennis Club was the first site of the US camp for the Rafa Nadal Academy.
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Patricia Lombard
Patricia Lombard
Patricia Lombard is the publisher of the Larchmont Buzz. Patty lives with her family in Fremont Place. She has been active in neighborhood issues since moving here in 1989. Her pictorial history, "Larchmont" for Arcadia Press is available at Chevalier's Books.

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