The Other Toni: Antonio Cascales, Unsung Guru of Spanish Tennis

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Juan Carlos Ferrero and Antonio Cascales: founders of the academy.

You probably have never heard of Antonio Cascales. However—you may have heard of Juan Carlos Ferrero, Pablo Carreno Busta, and Carlos Alcaraz—who all have trained under his watchful eye.

He is not very well known outside of Spain, but his coaching record rivals many other top coaches in the country. He is most well-known for guiding Juan Carlos Ferrero to number 1 in the world and the 2003 Roland Garros title. Cascales coached Juan Carlos since he was about 10 years old—it's a remarkable story of how a small town coach helped a small town player became tennis champion of the world.

Cascales is also the founder, along with Juan Carlos, of the Juan Carlos Ferrero Equelite Tennis Academy, which has grown from a tiny club with 2 courts into one of the best tennis academies in the world with over 20 courts and world class facilities.

I recently had the good fortune of meeting and interviewing Antonio onsite at the JC Ferrero Equelite Academy in Villena, Spain. Cascales shared some fascinating stories, coaching insights, and he helped me to better understand the historical context for the rise of Spanish tennis on the world stage.

Chris Lewit is a leading high-performance coach, author, and educator. He is the author of the best-selling book Secrets of Spanish Tennis 2.0, which is now available, and a new technique book, Winning Pretty, which will be published by New Chapter Press in paperback in 2026. He is also a contributing editor for Tennisplayer.net magazine and a long-time member of the RSPA and PTR. As an educator, he has presented at several large conferences, including the PTR International Tennis Symposium. Chris studied religion and literature at Cornell, Harvard, and Columbia, and is currently pursuing a PhD in kinesiology and biomechanics.

As a player, Chris Lewit played No. 1 for Cornell University and competed on the USTA and ITF pro circuits. As a coach, he has recently worked with several No. 1 junior players in the US and has trained hundreds of nationally ranked juniors. He directs a boutique full-time academy for homeschool/online players and a high-performance summer camp program, as well as high-performance training for all ages and levels, all at his club in the beautiful green mountains of Manchester, Vermont.

Chris Lewit has a popular YouTube channel, Youtube.com/ChrisLewit, and you can follow his writing portfolio at https://medium.com/@ChrisLewit.

Chris Lewit Tennis
World-Class Technical Training
Expert in Spanish and European Training Methods
New York, New York and Londonderry, Vermont
914-462-2912

Contact Chris directly by phone/WhatsApp at 914-462-2912 or chris@chrislewit.com.

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