At 8 am, sunlight fills Rafa Pro Lab on No 699 Jiaozhou Road. Inside, Rafa Madrid moves briskly around his compact studio, brewing coffee, playing music, and preparing his stringing machine. For the 47-year-old Spaniard, this isn't just a job; but a return to his first love: tennis.
After two decades in China and seven years in Shanghai, where he met his Shanghainese wife, Rafa proudly calls himself a "Shanghai son-in-law". Having worked for years as a procurement director and later as a CFO for a multinational company, he made a bold career shift when he arrived in Shanghai: to become a professional tennis stringer, driven by a mission to help every player find a racket that fits them.
Rafa's love for tennis began in childhood. The moment he picked up a racket at six years old, he fell in love with the sport. Since then, tennis became one of his greatest passions.
Determined to turn his passion into expertise, he traveled to the Global Racquet Stringers Association headquarters to attend a master stringing course and earned his professional certification. He then joined Head, one of the world's leading tennis racket manufacturers, and served at tournaments including the China Open and Zhuhai Championships.
Known for both skill and speed, Rafa can restring a racket in just 13 minutes during matches. His expertise has earned the trust of stars such as Andy Murray and Zheng Qinwen. Yet Rafa's focus remains on precision and quality rather than prestige.
In 2023, he opened Rafa Pro Lab, where he provides custom racket services, stringing, and equipment sales. The logo, a knotted string in Spanish red and yellow, reflects Rafa's roots and passion for tennis.
But what truly sets the Spaniard's studio apart is his personalized approach. He often spends hours helping clients, especially young players, choose the right gear. For him, it's not about selling the most expensive racket, but about finding what truly works for each player.
Beyond business, Rafa hopes to share his love for the game and cultivate a vibrant racket sports culture in Shanghai. Now a permanent resident in the city with a daughter in a local school, he envisions his future firmly rooted in Shanghai.
He has visited many beautiful places around the world, yet he finds Shanghai's charm unmatched.
He is also optimistic about the growth of China's sports industry and hopes that Rafa Pro Lab will continue to thrive.
Despite the ambition, Rafa is not in pursuit of rapid expansion. In his view, life in this fast-paced city makes it all the more important for people to find balance. Sports, he said, help people maintain calm, health, and joy, which is what matters most.