A Trip of a Lifetime: Junior Player Travels to Rafa Nadal Academy in Spain

Manasseh “Manny” Matsudaira, a junior at Housatonic Valley High School and student at Cornwall Community Tennis Association, recently experienced tennis in an entirely new light. Prior to last summer, the Cornwall Bridge resident hadn’t played much tennis outside of his town, but in July, he was given his first real opportunity to showcase and hone his skills. Matsudaira was selected as one of four students that earned a USTA New England scholarship to attend a weeklong Rafa Nadal Academy Camp at the nearby Hotchkiss School in Lakeville.

The camp focused on teaching the Rafael Nadal Academy Camps methodology and instilled in students the importance of building championship qualities both on and off the court.

At the end of the week, one student who best emulated those values, received the prestigious Rafael Nadal Values Award as well as a trip to Mallorca, Spain to train at the Rafa Nadal Academy. 

That student was Matsudaira.

“I was honored and not really expecting to win it. We all played the best we could and tried to live by the values instilled in us by the coaches, but none of us was really thinking about winning it during the week. There were so many others deserving,” Matsudaira said.

More than six months later in February, Matsudaira left the country for the first time in his life to embark on a journey that little did he know would change the trajectory of his tennis career.

While a bit daunting at first, Matsudaira said upon arrival he immediately felt welcomed and quickly acclimated to his new environment. Academy coaches focused on teaching a similar mindset and values as the American camps, stressing the importance of becoming a well-rounded champion.

“I developed a new approach to tennis, where my mental state was more at the forefront,” Matsudaira said. 

With a more balanced schedule in Mallorca compared to the jam-packed training days in Connecticut, Matsudaira took the time to meet new people from different cultures, try new activities, like paintballing, and simply soak in the foreign experience. 

“I can’t overstate how much fun I had. It was a nice balance of intense training and off-court activities. I didn’t just meet friends, but people from all over who share the same passion and drive for the game as I do coming under one umbrella, which is hard to beat. I already miss it,” he said.