Tennis superstars who run their own player academy ft. Chris Evert, Rafael Nadal
Top players including Rafael Nadal and Chris Evert have chosen to open their own academy to hone young talent. Owning an academy allows veteran players to structure, train, and mentor upcoming players.
Some of the famous academies are founded by coaches like the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy in France and the Bollettieri Tennis Academy in the US. Andre Agassi and Maria Sharapova have trained at the Bollettieri Tennis Academy while Serena Williams won 10 of her 23 Grand Slams under Patrick Mouratoglou's tutelage.
Let's take a look at some of the players who have chosen to walk the same path and run their own academy.
#1 Rafael Nadal
The Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar was started by the 22-time Grand Slam champion in 2016 in his hometown of Manacor, Spain. Along with approximately over 40 tennis courts to train on, the academy also includes Rafa Nadal International School and Sports Medicine Centre. Their team comprises Nadal's coach and former player Carlos Moya and Nadal's uncle Toni Nadal.
Tennis legend Roger Federer was the guest of honor at the academy's inauguration and was welcomed by Rafael Nadal in January this year for a tour of the academy.
#2 Chris Evert
The Evert Tennis Academy was founded by the 18-time Grand Slam champion and her brother John Evert. The facility in Florida, USA is NCAA-approved and is affiliated with the IMG academy to help students pursue academics alongside tennis training.
2003 US Open champion Andy Roddick and Ajla Tomljanovic are among the alumni of Chris Evert's academy.
#3 John McEnroe
John McEnroe hung up his racquet in 1992 and later turned commentator for NBC at the time. In 2010, he partnered with Sportime and started his academy in Manhattan, New York. The former World No.1 runs the academy along with his brother and former player, Patrick McEnroe.
The John McEnroe Academy helps players compete at sectional, regional, and ITF levels.
#4 Justine Henin
7-time Grand Slam champion and Olympic gold medalist Justine Henin started her academy along with her coach Carlos Rodriguez at the peak of her career in 2007. In 2018, the academy announced a partnership with BNP Paribas Fortis.
The 42-year-old is a mother of two and apart from running the academy in her home country of Belgium also commentates for French television. The four-time French Open champion was present in the stands at this year's final in Roland Garros where Iga Swiatek won her third French Open title.
#5 Emilio Sanchez
Former doubles World No. 1 Emilio Sanchez's career spanned over the 80s when the men's singles were dominated by the likes of Ivan Lendl, Stefan Edberg, and Boris Becker. Sanchez made a name for himself, winning three Grand Slams in doubles and two in mixed doubles in the late 1980s. He is the older brother of four-time Grand Slam singles winner, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario.
In 1998, he teamed up with his doubles partner Sergio Casal and started the Emilio Sanchez Academy in Barcelona. Andy Murray and Grigor Dimitrov have trained at the academy.
#6 Nick Saviano
Nick Saviano won one singles and three doubles titles before hanging up his racquet in 1984. He later started working with the USTA as a national coach, director of coaching for men’s tennis, and director of coaching education and sports science. He left the USTA in 2002 to start his academy in Florida. Saviano has coached Eugenie Bouchard and Sloane Stephens.
Notably, Novak Djokovic had also started his academy in 2008 in Belgrade. However, after 15 years of operation, the academy closed in 2023.
"The company Tara 2016 S, owned by Novak and Jelena Djokovic, made a decision to return the land and facilities within the Tennis Center Novak in Dorcol to the City of Belgrade," Djokovic announced in 2023.
"We considered it for a long time and made the not-so-easy decision to stop working and managing the land, facilities and overseeing the tennis oasis after more than ten years. It is with great gratitude that we return the land to the City of Belgrade."
Kim Clijsters also started her academy in her home country Belgium in 2014 but the academy was reportedly unable to sustain itself financially after the COVID 19 pandemic and closed in 2022. The decision also came after Clijsters relocated to the US in 2020.