TENNIS ACE NADAL TURNS TO POKER

Rafael Nadal

Olympic gold medalist and multiple Grand Slam tennis champion Rafael Nadal has joined the biggest online poker company PokerStars, as one of its ambassadors.

Announced on the PokerStars Blog today, Nadal, 26, is keen to learn the game of poker and will be mentored by various Team PokerStars Pros in the coming months, attempting to draw on many of the skills he uses to such great effect on the tennis court to improve his game one step at a time.

“It’s no secret that I love to compete and try my very best in everything, whether that’s tennis, golf or video games,” said Nadal. “When I discovered the game of poker, I chose to join PokerStars because they understand what it takes to be the best and associate themselves with the qualities of champions. I’m very happy to be working with them.”

Nadal will play poker in spare moments while concentrating on tennis, with the Wimbledon Tennis Championship only days away. According to the press release, Nadal will be devoting time over the summer, representing PokerStars in online tournaments, in advertising campaigns and at charity events.

“Rafa Nadal represents all that is great about competition – the mix of talent, intellect, dedication and mental strength that you find in champions in every sport,” said Mark Scheinberg, PokerStars Chairman of the Board. “We are proud to have Rafa as an ambassador for the brand and excited at the opportunity to help him enjoy and improve his game.”

Nadal joins a stable of elite athletes who have made poker their “other game”, and who play with PokerStars. They include other Olympic medallists such as Fatima Moreira de Melo, as well as former Tennis champion Boris Becker.