Sign here Rafael Nadal with Babolat's Jean-Christophe Verborg J
ean-Christophe Verborg has a clear memory of the time he first set eyes on Rafael Nadal. Babolat’s Global Sports Marketing Tennis Director, who has been working for the company since 1996, had heard much from his Spanish
“When you scout talents, one of the things you always notice is the sound of the ball. Even at 14, the sound of Rafa hitting the ball was very impressive.Therewas this little kidwith his haircut and his eyes. I saw something that mademe think he had something special. It was a real ‘wow’ effect. I didn’t speak Spanish and Rafa didn’t speak French or English, sowe had a meetingwith Toni and this 14-year-old kid, whowas very polite, verywell educated. I could see in his eyes themotivation. He was already focused on a career in tennis.” Putting Nadal on an international contract was surely one of the best decisions Babolat has ever made in its 147-year history. Nadal has beenwith Babolat ever since, during which time both player and company have flourished. Since Nadal won the first of his record 21 Grand Slam titles in 2005, Babolat’s turnover has more than doubled. While the respective successes of the Spanish player and the
colleagues about a promising young player fromManacor on the island of Mallorca. Coached by his uncle, Toni, Nadal had been associated with Babolat’s Spanish subsidiary from the age of 10. Now aged 14, he was attracting the interest of Babolat’s company headquarters in Lyon. “I first sawhim trainingwith Feliciano Lopez, Sergi Bruguera and Carlos Moya at a club in Barcelona,” Verborg recalled. “Then I went towatch himat a small club in Manacor. I spent maybe four or five hours with himandwatching himpractise. I was immediately impressed by his commitment on court. Hewas always running along the baseline, wanting to compete.
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