A week of padel in Manacor, as seen by the Financial Times
The Financial Times published a first-person account by Jemima Kelly on 19 September 2026 after she spent a week at the Rafa Nadal Academy padel camp in Mallorca. Kelly joined the adult programme using Rodri Ovide’s methodology, with technical sessions, tactical work, physical preparation and matches.
Her article describes a stay organised around training and recovery. Kelly also notes the contrast between the sporting demands of the programme and the comfort of the venue, including chance encounters with Alexander Zverev and Rafael Nadal. She is measured about how much her game improved in one week, while stressing how absorbing padel can be and the social life that forms around the courts.
Ovide’s method starts with control and decision-making
The Rafa Nadal Academy’s official presentation of its padel methodology adds detail to what the Financial Times experienced on site. Ovide leads the training of the Academy’s padel coaches and his method is used in adult and junior programmes. The Academy credits him with more than 17 seasons of experience on the professional circuit.
Rodri Ovide explains the starting point of his work:
“The foundation of my method is to develop players who enjoy learning, and to achieve this, control is essential.”
The 2026 adult programme includes 12 hours of technical work, 4.5 hours of physical preparation and 4 hours of tactical sessions over one week, with a stated ratio of one court for four players. Positioning, reading the game and decision-making therefore sit alongside work on individual shots.
Rafa Nadal Academy expands padel into year-round programmes
The Financial Times visit comes a few months after the launch of the Rafa Nadal Academy’s Annual Padel Program. The Manacor centre says it now has 19 padel courts and is developing camps, an annual programme and an international amateur tour.
The official Rafa Nadal Academy PADEL account posted images in March from the US stop of its tour in Miami. That activity complements the training programmes in Manacor and shows that padel now has a dedicated place in the Academy’s sporting offer.
The Financial Times feature gives the adult programme additional international exposure. The camp followed by Jemima Kelly applies a methodology developed from elite-level coaching in a format aimed at amateur players who want to devote a full week to their game.
