Rafael Nadal steps back onto a tennis court this Saturday at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor, Spain, exactly 683 days after playing his final professional match. The 22-time Grand-Slam champion anchors a star-studded exhibition event celebrating the tenth anniversary of his tennis complex, facing a team led by former world number one Andy Murray.
The milestone exhibition, dubbed the Academy Slam, features a unique team-format showdown in Mallorca. Nadal enters the court for the first time since his retirement loss to Botic van de Zandschulp in the Davis Cup quarterfinals, where he dropped a 4-6, 4-6 decision. This weekend’s event pits two squads of tennis legends against each other in a series of doubles matches decided by ten-point tiebreaks.
Team Nadal Reunites Spanish Greats
Nadal leads a lineup composed of former rivals and long-time associates. Team Nadal is rounded out by Richard Gasquet—whom Nadal first faced during their junior days—alongside Spanish compatriots David Ferrer and Carlos Moyá.
The inclusion of Ferrer and Moyá unites three central figures of Spanish men’s tennis. Moyá, the first Spanish player to reach number one in the ATP rankings and the 1998 French Open champion, served as Nadal’s long-time coach starting in late 2016. Ferrer reached number three in the world, captured 27 titles, and currently serves as Spain’s Davis Cup captain—the exact role he held when he guided Nadal during his final professional appearance in Málaga. Nadal himself brings a wealth of doubles pedigree to the court, highlighted by his Olympic gold medal victory alongside Marc López.
Team Murray Counters With Grand-Slam Winners
Opposing the Spanish contingent is a squad organized by Andy Murray, who returns to Mallorca for his third visit to the academy following prior stints in 2016 and 2019. Nadal jokingly invited the British star via a voice message, noting Murray’s relentless training habits.
Murray’s roster brings together international champions. Former US Open champion Dominic Thiem agreed to join the British-led side as its first announced team member. Thiem, who retired from professional play in 2024 and reached number three in the world rankings, previously trained at the Manacor facility in 2023. Marat Safin and Fabio Fognini complete the four-man lineup for Team Murray, ensuring that all eight participants across both squads are former top players and Grand-Slam winners.
Tournament Format Marks Decade of Facility Growth
The tournament format consists of four doubles matches, with every encounter decided by a decisive match tiebreak up to ten points. Organizers have not yet revealed the exact pairings or the order of play ahead of Saturday’s opening matches. Beyond the on-court action, the celebration marks a decade of growth for the facility, which opened in Manacor in 2016 under the initial guidance of Toni Nadal and has since expanded globally with locations in Marbella, Kuwait, Mexico, Greece, Hong Kong, the Dominican Republic, and Egypt.
The schedule for Saturday remains tightly held by academy organizers, and exact broadcast or streaming details beyond the venue grounds in Mallorca have not yet been publicly confirmed by the tournament committee.
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