The Other Toni: Antonio Cascales, Unsung Guru of Spanish Tennis
Chris Lewit
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.
Founder
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, The Secrets of Spanish Tennis, and a new technique
book, Winning Pretty, which will be published by New Chapter Press in paperback in
2025. Secrets of Spanish Tennis, Second Edition will be published in September 2024,
also by New Chapter Press. He is also a contributing editor for Tennisplayer.net
magazine and a long-time member of the USPTA and PTR. As an educator, he has
presented at several large conferences including the PTR International Tennis
Symposium. Chris is currently studying kinesiology and biomechanics and headed for
graduate school in that field.
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
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. Contact Chris directly by
phone/WhatsApp 914-462-2912 or chris@chrislewit.com.
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