KUWAIT CITY, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait is to open a tennis academy in February next year, Toni Nadal, head of the Rafa Nadal Academy, said here on Wednesday.
The new academy will be the Spanish organization's first branch in the Middle East, he said, noting that it would open on February 5 and enhance the presence of tennis in Kuwait.
"We will provide the same high level of training to children and adults enrolled at the academy," he said.
A team of coaches will work to ensure the quality of training and to develop players to the highest international standards, he added.
During a video-recorded speech, Rafael Nadal expressed his pride at the opening of the Academy in Kuwait.
"I am very happy to open the Academy in Kuwait. We are working hard to design a comprehensive and appropriate training program for all members of all ages to ensure the integration of this pioneering project for tennis in the region," he said.
The new academy will be the first of its kind in Kuwait and the Middle East region, said Mohammed Jassim Khalid Al-Marzouq, Chairman of Tamdeen Group, which is responsible for the construction of the new academy.
It will be the training center and one of the most important components of the Kuwait's Sheikh Jaber Al Abdullah Al Jaber Al Sabah International Tennis Complex, he noted.
Al-Marzouq added that the tennis complex would include a multi-purpose covered main stadium with a capacity of more than 5,000 seats, in addition to eight covered sub-tennis courts and eight other outdoor tennis courts.