During the last week of summer vacation, I spent a relaxing holiday with my relatives at my grandparents’ house.

My cousins who live in Kanagawa are all soccer players — Chinari and Yua are playing professionally, and Chinari was a forward on the team that finished runner-up at last year’s U20 World Cup, scoring three goals in the tournament.

They’ve always supported my journey in tennis, and watching how hard they work inspires me to push myself even more. It was such a joy to meet them again after a long time and spend a fun holiday together before the summer ended.

And on the very last day of August, I returned to Mallorca — ready to begin my second year of challenges at the Rafa Nadal Academy.