CHENNAI Spanish world number one Rafa Nadal will set up a tennis school in India through his foundation, local media reported on Thursday.

The Nadal Tennis School (NTS) will take shape in September and be functional by June next year in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, The Hindu newspaper reported.

The paper said NTS is a joint venture between the Rafael Nadal Foundation and Fundacion Vincente Ferrer, the Spanish arm of India-based non-governmental organisation Rural Development Trust (RDT).

'There have been 135 registrations so far for admission to the academy, which will be restricted to children above eight years,' RDTs associate programme director Moncho Ferrer told the paper.

Four international class clay courts will be created by new year, the paper said. 'Training will be year-long as will monitoring of the progress of the academy's intake,' Ferrer said.

DEVELOPMENT AID

Nadal, beaten in the fourth round of the French Open last week while chasing a record fifth straight Parisian crown, launched his foundation in January last year, with the focus on social work and development aid.

His mother, Ana Maria Parera, chairs the foundation. 'A month-and-a-half ago I was in Chennai, in India. The truth is we live great here (Spain). And if I can contribute something with my image...' Nadal told his website at the launch of the foundation.

Former world number one Roger Federer also runs a foundation which focuses on Africa. Federer's mother is

South African.—Reuters