Inside the Rafa Nadal Academy, a tennis talent hotbed

The soft thud of bouncing balls and coaches' orders echo over the courts at the Rafa Nadal Academy, the tennis "factory" the Spanish superstar dreamed into reality, his great legacy to the sport and to his island, Mallorca.

"It came from Rafael and his father's idea of staying involved in the sport when Rafael's career was over," Toni Nadal, his uncle and former coach tells AFP at the academy in the 22-time Grand Slam winner's hometown, Manacor.

"He's lasted much longer than we thought," adds Toni Nadal, with a smile.

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He is the academy's tennis director, speaking to AFP while overseeing some of the sport's most promising youngsters running drills.

Spanish great Nadal, 37, is taking a break from tennis to try and recover from his injury problems but keeps a keen eye on his academy.

He is often seen there, like on 14 June when he presided over the graduation ceremony for 49 students and players, alongside women's world number one Iga Swiatek.

Nadal also chose it as the location of his May announcement that he was stepping away from the game ahead of his planned comeback and retirement in 2024.

"This would be my goal - stopping, to try and face probably the last year of my sporting career with at least the guarantees of being able to enjoy it," Nadal said at the time.

Face time

The academy's courts are where one of the greatest players of all time will prepare for his comeback, along with the students, who can sometimes enjoy rallies with the 14-time French Open champion.

"He talks to the coaches on a regular basis, he explains his vision to them, he trains here all the time and trains with the kids, he gives them his way of doing things and his advice,"