Fourteen-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal today gave 14 lucky school children the surprise of their life when he jumped on court to help coach a session at The Aegon Championships in Queen’s Club, London to mark the 20,000th school supported by British Tennis.
The pupils, from Oasis South Bank Academy in Waterloo, London, were thrilled as they were treated to some top tips from the former Aegon Championships (2008) and two-time Wimbledon (2008, 2010) winner to celebrate the landmark occasion.
Leading tennis charity the Tennis Foundation, in partnership with the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), has supported primary, secondary and special schools from across the country with free teacher training, inclusive resources and equipment packs to give three million children the chance to stay healthy and have fun playing tennis.
Former ATP World No.1 Rafael Nadal said: “It is always fun to play with kids and I’m happy I could be here today to support British Tennis and the Schools Programme. It was nice to see the smiles on their faces. I have my own foundation which offers educational programs to the deprived, with a common denominator: sport. It’s a great way to be introduced to sport in schools and I hope I can inspire more to play tennis.”
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Carly Mitchell, Principal of Oasis South Bank Academy, said: “It was an honour for our pupils to spend time with such an incredible player as Nadal and they’ve all been very inspired by the day and experiencing The Aegon Championships. The support we’ve received from the Tennis Foundation will really help us make tennis more accessible to all our pupils and we’re looking forward to embedding the sport within our already strong PE and school sport programme.”
Following the Tennis Foundation’s award-winning programme supporting schools, colleges and universities over the past five years, Tennis in Education is now a key part of the wider British Tennis Strategy to get more people playing, more often.
LTA Chief Executive Michael Downey said, “We are delighted that one the sport’s greatest Ambassadors in Rafael Nadal has given some of his time today to support British Tennis, helping inspire more young people to play tennis and commemorating this significant milestone reaching 20,000 schools.”
Executive Director of the Tennis Foundation, Geoff Newton, added: “With the launch of our refreshed Tennis in Education Strategy earlier this year, the Tennis Foundation made a renewed commitment to bring tennis to more young people, not just for the obvious health benefits that playing the sport brings, but also to improve performance and attendance in the classroom.”
A new social change programme being rolled out by the Tennis Foundation in 2015 is Beyond the Baseline, delivered in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust, which sees former and current professional tennis players trained as mentors to inspire pupils on and off the court.
Find out more about Tennis in Education here.
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