All it took was thirty minutes in the air—we’d just hit cruising altitude when we began our descent—to transition from the vibrant streetscapes of Barcelona to the languid cadence of the Balearics. My first trip to Mallorca, taken in 2002 while studying at Universitat Pompeu Fabra, was all dorm accommodations and chupitos and late-night dance floors, so I wanted an excuse to see it again since it has become an international tennis destination, thanks to its most famous native son.
Mallorca is, in the popular imagination, tied to red clay, and thanks especially to Rafa, to the old school grind-it-out ethos of the Spanish academy system. But what’s changed is who’s coming. The draw is no longer for rabid junior prospects only—though you can believe there are countless kids running baseline drills under the watchful eyes of Rafa Nadal’s lieutenants in Manacor, stars future and current such as Alex Eala claiming the massive tennis factory as home-away-from-home. But now it’s the grown ups with a taste for design hotels, regional hospitality and a seamless itinerary of sport and wellness who are recalibrating the island’s racquet-sport vibe.