Looking for Tennis and Racket Sports International News?

Tamdeen Group, a leading mixed-use property developer that is reshaping the urban and social landscape of Kuwait through innovative development projects, has joined forces with Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar, one of the world’s leading tennis centres, to set up a world-class tennis academy in the country.

Bearing the name of the legendary tennis icon, who will end the 2019 ATP season as the world’s top ranked player, the Rafa Nadal Academy Kuwait will serve as the training and developmental hub of the all-new Shaikh Jaber Al Abdullah Al Jaber Al Sabah International Tennis Complex.

One of the country’s pioneering public-private partnership projects, the world-class complex is the biggest sports initiative in value and size under the Kuwait Public Authority for Sport.

The academy is set to formally open its doors when Rafael Nadal will personally fly in to Kuwait for the inauguration in February.

Rafael Nadal, the top-ranked ATP tennis player in the world and a 19-time Grand Slam champion, will play a match at Gwinnett's Infinite Energy Arena as part of a special event next year.

Nadal, 33, will take on eight-time ATP Tour singles winner Grigor Dimitrov on March 2, 2020. Nadal won his 12th French Open and fourth U.S. Open this season to push his career Grand Slam total to 19, one behind all-time leader Roger Federer. Dimitrov will finish in the world's top 20 after a strong past couple of months, reaching the semifinals at the U.S. Open as well as the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Paris this past week.

The Nadal-Dimitrov match is part of The Premier Live Atlanta Challenge at the 13,000-seat Infinite Energy Arena. The pre-event festivities include a performance from Atlanta-based band Yacht Rock Revue. The event is paired with the March 1 Charity Dinner and Auction with meet-and-greet opportunities benefiting Rafa Nadal Foundation and the National Tennis Foundation.

Spain defeated Canada 2-0
Roberto Bautista Agut bt. Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6(3) 6-3
Rafael Nadal bt. Denis Shapovalov  6-3 7-6(7)

There were dramatic matches, there were big upsets, there were passionate fans and there were late finishes. And then there was Rafael Nadal – and, ultimately, it was Nadal who proved to be the difference between Spain and the rest of the field at this year’s Davis Cup by Rakuten Madrid Finals.

Nadal anchored the Spanish team to a 2-0 victory over Canada in Sunday’s final, recording a 6-3 7-6(7) triumph over Denis Shapovalov after Roberto Bautista Agut had defeated Felix Auger-Aliasimme 7-6(3) 6-3 to set Spain on their way to the title. The results secured a sixth Davis Cup crown for Spain – their first since defeating Argentina in Seville in 2011.