Rafa Nadal Academy graduate and Jordanian history-maker Abedallah Shelbayh opens up about "best decision" to join Spaniard's academy

It was a historic week for 19-year-old Abedallah Shelbayh, a Rafa Nadal Academy graduate who became the first player ever from Jordan and the youngest Arab to reach a Challenger Tour final. Shelbayh, who reached the final in what was only his third Challenger event, reflected on his journey and revealed why joining the Spanish tennis legend's academy was the best decision he ever made.

The youngster hails from a region where tennis is not a popular sport. At Rafael Nadal's academy, he knew that he would find the resources that are very scarce back home in Jordan, but which would help him achieve early success in his career. However, he also had to make big sacrifices along the way.

During his dream run in the Manama Challenger, Shelbayh won four matches, including wins against Jason Kubler and Salvatore Caruso, before falling just short to Thanasi Kokkinakis in the final. Sharing details about how his journey began at the Rafa Nadal Academy, Shelbayh explained why he believes joining the tennis center in Mallorca as a 14-year-old was a life-changing decision that worked perfectly.

"I know it was not an easy thing for me, but it was the best decision since tennis, as I said, is not a big sport in Jordan," Abedallah Shelbayh said in a press conference at the ongoing Qatar Open.

"If I would have stayed there, I wouldn't have been where I am right now."

Shelbayh also stressed the challenges of leaving his family behind at the age of 14 and shifting base to a new country altogether. However, once he settled in, Shelbayh was deeply focused on the task at hand and ensured that he made the most of his opportunity.

"Yeah, I went there at the age of 14, so it was not easy to leave my family behind at such a young age," Shelbayh expressed.

"So it took me some time to kind of settle in, and, I mean, I needed to be mature, took some time, and that helped me become more mature and helped me kind of perform better on court later on."

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"He gave me words of encouragement many times" - Abedallah Shelbayh on the experience of training with Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal oftens trains with young players at his academy, sharing tips on tennis.

As part of his enriching experience of living and training at the state-of-the-art academy in Mallorca, young Abedallah Shelbayh has also gotten the opportunity to train with 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal himself, not just once, but on multiple occasions. Speaking about those invaluable experiences, Shelbayh revealed that Nadal has already taught him a lot about tennis, sharing tips and words of encouragement each time they train together.

His interactions with the Spanish great have given him a good idea of what it takes to be successful at the highest level.

"I mean, to be able to practice with him many times and hear many tips from him, as he spent so many years on the tour at the highest level, he gave me words of encouragement many times and a lot of tips on how to improve, what things I needed to do better in order to be able to compete at this level," Shelbayh said on the same.

Courtesy of a great week at the Manama Challenger, Shelbayh climbed to a career-high No. 276 in the ATP rankings. He made his ATP main draw debut on Tuesday at the Qatar Open, bowing out in the Round of 32 after a three-set thriller against Soonwoo Kwon.