Daniel Phillips is making big strides at the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy in Mallorca, Spain.

Phillips enrolled in the academy on September 5 and after a series of ranking matches has quickly risen to the top of the pecking order in the boys under-13 division.

He showed great character in his opening match by coming from behind to claim a confidence-boosting 7-5 victory before cruising to emphatic 6-0 victories in his next two outings to further underline his potential.

“The ranking matches went really well,” Phillips said. “Everything is going good and I have also been doing really well in school.

“I have been doing really good in all my subjects and I just want to keep up the hard work.”

The 11-year-old got his first taste of life in his surroundings during a two week training camp at the academy this summer where he was put through his paces by Toni Nadal, the uncle and coach of 14-times grand-slam winner and former world No 1 Rafael Nadal.

“It’s a really nice academy, and they push you to your limits,” Phillips said.

During his initial stint at the academy Phillips won age group honours in mixed singles in a tournament featuring some of the best junior players in the region, including Marta Nadal, the daughter of Nadal’s coach Toni, who he defeated on the hard-court surface.

He successfully made the cut during a summer assessment at the academy and was invited to join its annual programme, which started this month.

“After analysing his good tennis technique and his great attitude in terms of learning, inside and outside the court, the tennis and the school department agree that Daniel is the student/player that the academy wants to have for the annual programme,” the academy said in a written statement.

Attending the academy is a step in Phillips’s quest to reach the professional ranks and play at grand-slam tournaments, such as the grass courts at the Wimbledon Championships, which he hopes to do by 2019.

He was able to enrol in the academy’s annual programme through a series of fundraisers and a $5,000 donation from the Bermuda Marathon Derby organising committee.

“It really means a lot to me that the community is helping me to reach my life goal,” Phillips said. “They are not just putting aside their life for me, but also their children’s lives — and sometimes that makes me want to cry.

“I just feel really grateful to all of the people who have dedicated to me, and I hope I can prove it on the tennis court and in my academics.”

Last weekend Phillips got the chance of a lifetime to meet former world No 1 players and grand-slam winners John McEnroe, Mats Wilander and Carlos Moyà, who participated in an exhibition doubles match also featuring Rafael Nadal at the academy.

“I took pictures of Rafael Nadal, John McEnroe and Carlos Moyà,” Phillips said.

“I also have video of them and everything.”

Phillips will get another chance to gauge his progress when he makes his debut in the Tennis Europe tournament in Spain next month.