Nadal’s tennis centre coming to Sai Kung

World tennis star Rafa Nadal’s tennis centre is coming to Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Golf and Tennis Academy (HKGTA) announced on Tuesday that it’s partnering with the Rafa Nadal Academy to launch Asia’s first Rafa Nadal Tennis Centre in Sai Kung, with the hope of nurturing more talents in the city.

A dedicated coaching team from Spain will come to the centre to run tailor-made programmes, and there will also competition opportunities, the HKGTA said.

Nadal, for his part, said he believes the project would be a success.

“We are very excited about this new international project in Hong Kong. Since the opening of the Academy in Mallorca five years ago, we have always found it very interesting to expand our methodology to more countries to reach as many people as possible,” the 21-time Grand Slam winner said in a statement.

However, HKGTA did not say when the centre will come into operation and how much the courses will cost.

Julien Baker from Baptist University’s Department of Sport, Physical Education and Health described the opening of the tennis school as “excellent news” to Hong Kong.

He believed the institution can help those who are interested in developing tennis as a talent.

“Coaching is a big thing in terms of talent identification. If you’ve got a talented individual, you have got to be able to coach him at the right level,” said Baker.

“They do need help along their developmental path.”

He also said the new tennis school should consider offering discounts to less well-off families so that they can also take part in the programme.