The Rafa Nadal Academy (RNA) has already produced some great talents with the likes of Alex Eala and Ivan Ivanov winning Grand Slam Junior titles, but how much does it cost to attend one of the best tennis academies in the world?

Keen to give back to the sport he loves, the great Rafael Nadal decided to build his own academy in his hometown of Manacor in Mallorca, Spain, and the impressive facility officially opened its doors in October 2016.

And nine years later, they have produced five Grand Slam junior champions, including Eala and Ivanov, and there is no doubt the RNA will produce more young stars, who knows maybe even a world No 1 and/or major champions.

With a total of 45 courts – 23 hard courts and 22 clay courts – the Manacor facility is one of the biggest in the world and it offers annual tennis programs for children aged 12 to 18 years old.

The fitness centre also boasts 15 padel courts, a seven-a-side football pitch, a beach volley court, a multi-sports court and two 25m swimming pools – one indoor and one outdoor.

As for the technical staff, 22-time Grand Slam winner Nadal is the founder, his former coach and uncle, Toni Nadal, is an ambassador after stepping down from his role as director of RNA, with former world No 1 Carlos Moya the current technical director.

According to the latest RNA brochure, a total of 30 coaches work at the academy with Pedro Clar, Anabel Medina, Joan Bosch, Mark Krauss, Nacho Gonzalez and Alex Praderes the lead coaches.

The fitness centre – led by Domingo Rossello – has 10 coaches, six physiotherapists, two doctors, two nutritionists and four psychologists.

But perhaps one key area where the Rafa Nadal Academy differs from other facilities is the fact that those at RNA can combine their tennis training with academic studies at the Rafa Nadal International School (RNS) which offers personalised educational programs, accredited by the Spanish system as well as by British and American organisations, with a boarding school.

The motto of the RNA is “We shape tennis players, students, and persons”.

The great man himself, Nadal, said: “For us, human training is just as important as sporting training and that is why our aim is for each player to be able to put into practice values such as effort, humility, tolerance, patience, respect, discipline and commitment.

“For this reason, all the players at the Academy attend a daily course we have called ‘Building a Champion’ in which every day of the week they are taught in a practical way a very special subject related to tennis and in which values, psychology, nutrition and physical preparation play a very important role.”

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Those who wish to further their tennis and academic careers at the RNA and RNS need to be at an intermediate-advanced level in terms of their playing ability and you have to prove you can play tennis as applicants have to either participate in an in-person test or send through a real-life gameplay video.

Once you have passed those tests, you can start planning your future in Manorca as you have the option of short-term programs and annual programs (September to June).

The short-term programs include weekly programs as well as summer camps, high-performance camps and junior holiday camps.

So with all that in mind, how much does it cost to train at the Rafa Nadal Academy?

Earlier this year, one of the former coaches at the Rafa Nadal Academy, Francesco Mendo, told Indietennis.com that it costs roughly $60,000 (about £44,000) for an annual program at the RNA and RNS while weekly programs start at $2,000 (£1,500).

“Understandably, the price looks very high for the majority of people to be there either annually or weekly but I believe that it really is worth it,” Mendo said.

He added: “Because it’s not only for tennis but to give the kids an experience and education that is 360 degrees. So if you were to pay the annual price you have school included and the classes are not more than 10 – 15 people in a class.

“You have daily tennis lessons with professionals from around the world. Professionals with outstanding leadership and backgrounds from the head coaches at the academy.

“Take into account that you’re also paying for fitness training + all meals. You’re boarding at the academy. And someone is constantly chaperoning the player during the course of a year.

“Your kids will have free time of course. But they’re monitored constantly for safety, protocols, training, and education. The academy makes life easier for players to focus on their tennis.”