The tennis ball machines will be firing at full speed this weekend when the David Ferrer Tennis Academy serves up its exclusive clinic, starting at 11am on Saturday 21st July.
Jávea born tennis champion, David Ferrer, is currently enjoying the best season of his career to date. Ranked number 5 in the world, this clay court specialist has already won five 2012 titles in New Zealand, Argentina, Mexico, the Netherlands and Sweden.
Admired for his strong returns and consistent baseline play on hard courts by other professionals such as Cahill and Federer, Ferrer has never matched this prowess on grass. Despite winning the s-Hertogenbosch UNICEF Open (one of only five tournaments in the World Tour played on grass) he was eventually defeated in the quarter finals of Wimbledon by home favourite Andy Murray.
Ferrer launched his tennis academy to give Spanish children the opportunity to get to know the courts where he grew up and to experience the teaching style that created his love of tennis. His coach Javier Piles is famously reported to have frequently locked a teenage Ferrer in the cupboard with only bread and water as punishment for lack of practice. We’re pretty sure that this isn’t the method used by the Academy today!
Ferrer believes that consistency is the key to success in tennis and this is reflected in the Academy’s coaching style, where children (and adults) from the age of three aim to perfect technical stroke repetition before advancing to more strategic levels of game playing.
Since 2011, the David Ferrer Tennis Academy has been located at Jávea Tennis Club, which has eight clay courts, four artificial grass paddle courts, a squash court, pool, gym, restaurant and bar. Managed by Ferrer’s older brother Javier (also a former professional tennis player on the ATP circuit), the academy offers full time training to talented and determined adolescents wanting to compete at tournament level.
David Ferrer is a regular attendee at the academy and trains there when his schedule allows, sharing his experiences with the students and other players. He also offers two scholarships every four years to exceptional young players, enabling them to train full time and participate in national and international tournaments while improving their junior rankings.
Participation in Saturday’s David Ferrer Clinic is exclusive to students of the academy. It is being organised in conjunction with Jávea Tennis Club and the Ayuntamiento of Jávea. Entrance is free to all members of Jávea Tennis Club and Academy students. There will be a raffle open to all those taking part and a chance to win a David Ferrer racket and the shirt worn by Ferrer when he won the Davis Cup for Spain in 2011.
For more information about the clinic, contact the David Ferrer Tennis Academy:
Telephone: +34 966 463 817
And watch out for David Ferrer representing Spain in the 2012 London Olympics from 28th July.
