Rafael Nadal is teaming up with Telefonica Open Future to provide investment to support tech entrepreneurs who can create startups to help students at the Rafael Nadal Tennis Academy in Mallorca.

Open Future was set up to support entrepreneurs who have an idea and want to set up a business, and five startups will be chosen at the end of the process – in February – to pitch personally to Nadal.

“We want to extend (Nadal’s) principles to the entrepreneur ecosystem,” said Open Future director Ana Segurado, as quoted in Sport Techie.

“(Nadal’s) know-how will help to find the most innovative projects for sports world.”

Nadal’s academy is a training academy for young Tennis players, and at the launch of the project, five startups pitched at the event, including smartphone apps which allow for the broadcast of live video, or apps to aid learning through gamification.

It’s a great opportunity for sport-based tech startups, especially given they’ll be used specifically in an elite sporting context.