Australian juniors George Diable, Ceressa Jackson, Brooke Komorowski and Novak Palombo are at present coaching in Mallorca.
Mallorca, Spain, 18 September 2024 | Leigh Rogers
4 of Australia’s main junior skills are at present coaching on the Rafa Nadal Academy in Spain.
George Diable (WA), Ceressa Jackson (Qld), Brooke Komorowski (NSW) and Novak Palombo (Vic) earned this chance by triumphing of their respective age teams on the Rafa Nadal Tour Australian Masters occasion in Melbourne throughout January.
Their prize included flights to Mallorca, in addition to two weeks of free coaching on the Spanish champion’s academy.
“It’s excessive depth, so I’ve been drained on the finish of daily, but it surely’s been good enjoyable,” mentioned 15-year-old Diable, who named his favorite a part of the expertise as watching Nadal practice.
“The coaches have been very useful,” added Jackson, who lists Nadal as her favorite participant. The 13-year-old’s private spotlight has been a go to to the academy’s museum to see a group of Nadal’s trophies and memorabilia.
The 12-year-old Palombo echoed his friends, describing the expertise as “actually wonderful”.
Ceressa Jackson, Brooke Komorowski, Novak Palombo and George Diable on the Rafa Nadal Academy.
The Rafa Nadal Tour launched in Australia in 2019 and has grown to incorporate occasions in each state and territory for juniors within the 12/u and 14/u age teams. The champions from every state occasion, in addition to gamers recognised with a Trophy of Values, are invited to compete within the annual Rafa Nadal Tour Australian Masters the next January.
Komorowski has certified for the Rafa Nadal Tour Australian Masters yearly since they have been launched and is a two-time Trophy of Values winner, that are awarded to gamers with a constructive perspective and exemplary behaviour on and off the court docket.
After recording top-four finishes on the Rafa Nadal Tour Australian Masters within the previous two years, the 15-year-old from Sydney was thrilled to be topped champion for the primary time in January.
“It’s been an enormous motivation,” Komorowski mentioned of successful the journey to Spain. “It meant a lot to me.”
Komorowski hopes to “turn out to be No.1 on the earth and win a Grand Slam” and names Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka as her favorite gamers.
“It’s been nice to see what the opposite gamers listed here are like,” she mentioned of her greatest classes gained from the academy go to.
“It’s been an excellent expertise. All of the coaches are so good and the coaching has been so intense.”
David Boyes, supervisor of the Rafa Nadal Tour Australia, is thrilled all 4 Australian juniors are gaining so much from the expertise. He’s notably happy for Komorowski and hopes her persistence and dedication evokes future contributors.
“She had simply turned 10 years outdated when she was the Trophy of Values winner at her first occasion,” Boyes mentioned.
“Final yr Brooke gained the South Australian occasion to qualify for her fourth Masters after which in January she gained the occasion to lastly get her likelihood to journey to the academy in Spain. It’s an excellent instance of somebody dwelling the values and making issues occur.”
> LEARN MORE: Rafa Nadal Tour in Australia
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