Rafa wins in Paris, 200 kids in Anantapur to celebrate with cake and games!

When Rafael Nadal was winning his 10th French Open in Paris, the 210 underprivileged children who are enrolled in his tennis academy in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, watched their idol on television screens at their homes. The academy, 350 km from Hyderabad, was inaugurated in 2010 by Nadal.

Nirmal Kumar, Sports Director of the Rural Development Trust (RDT) , which operates the academy with the Rafa Nadal Foundation, says, "The children were on their vacation. But they were all watching at their homes as they really like Rafa. The school reopens on June 13 and we are planning a party, which will be like his birthday."


Nadal with students at the academy during its launch. (Image: Facebook/AnantapurSportsAcademy)

Every year on June 3, Nadal's birthday, the academy has a get-together. Now, there will be one more. Kumar says, "We haven't fixed the date. We plan to have a special screening of the final. After that a cake will be cut and we will have games and a meal. The games may include trivia on Rafa and his 10 French Open titles."

There are 72 girls and 138 boys in the academy. The children get clothes, shoes, tennis racquets, balls and education material. Buses transport them from the academy to the schools nearby. The coaches and staff are paid by Nadal. There are special trainers from Spain who look after the children's food, exercise and daily routine.