Tomeu Salva in a recent interview with the ATP has spoken in depth about his friendship with Rafael Nadal and growing up with the legendary Spaniard.
Salva said that when he saw him play and lost to him 6-0, 6-0, he wanted to be surrounded by him and that as a result he wanted to keep evolving.
They started to play more and garner a good friendship from there and despite going on different paths they kept a daily contact. Up until now when he currently works for the Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor.
"We were seven years old. He was playing in the Tennis Club Manacor with his uncle and I was living in a very close place, but I was also going to school in Manacor.
The first time I saw Rafa was in his club. It was my first tournament and I faced him in the second round. I lost 6-0 6-0. I had no chances. I wanted to get surrounded by players like him, if I wanted to keep evolving. When i left the court I invited him to come home.
Obviously he told me that not... Because we did not know each other at all!"
"I started competing, which meant we would spend more time in tournaments. We started training together and keep a good friendship. We shared much more things until that at 12 or 13 years we started in the Balearic Federation in Palma."
"We split for some years. We kept seeing each other but less for the distance. We did not coincide each other in the tournaments anymore, but we kept a daily contact."
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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