5 times Rafael Nadal linked up with celebrities ft. Shakira, Cristiano Ronaldo
Rafael Nadal made his ATP Tour breakthrough in 2003, but it took him until two years later to announce himself as a formidable tennis force on the global stage. A 19-year-old Nadal won the 2005 French Open, the first of his record fourteen Roland Garros triumphs and 22 overall Grand Slam titles. Unsurprisingly, there was a lot of attention around the Spaniard, and that was just the start of it.
In the years that followed, the attention unsurprisingly led to the former World No. 1 rubbing shoulders with several high-profile celebrities, who were all icons in their own respective fields, just as Nadal became one in tennis. Here, we have compiled a list of five of the most prominent celebrities that Nadal was caught on camera with.
1. Shakira
Rafael Nadal starred in a music video with Shakira for the Colombian pop icon's song 'Gypsy' from her eighth studio album, She Wolf. In the video, the Spaniard played the Colombian's love interest, and it featured quite a few steamy scenes.
Until then, the 22-time Major winner had mostly experienced shoots for commercials, and he later laid bare that the music video shoot was refreshing. In another interview, the former World No. 1 was asked if his girlfriend at the time, Maria Francisca Perello (Nadal's present-day wife and the mother of his son Rafa Junior), was okay with him shooting intimate scenes with Shakira.
In his response, the Spaniard played it cool and said that Maria had "no problem" because it was "part of the job."
2. Cristiano Ronaldo
Living soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo and Nadal have linked up more than once. In 2012, sportswear giants Nike brought the two together to shoot a commercial for the brand's Mercurial Vapor VIII soccer shoes.
The commercial featured a fusion of soccer and tennis and as part of a greater Nike campaign, the Portuguese and the Spaniard sat down for a candid discussion with each other about their respective sports.
More recently, the star duo has collectively backed TATEL, a Spanish restaurant, whose latest unit came in Dubai earlier this year. Spanish former NBA star Pau Gasol is the third high-profile investor in the restaurant.
Ronaldo is one of many Real Madrid legends that the former World No. 1 has engaged with. This connection to the European soccer heavyweights stems from the former World No. 1 being a loyal Real Madrid fan from his childhood.
3. Iker Casillas
In his prime, the now-retired Iker Casillas wasn't just Real Madrid's ever-reliable shot-stopper. He was also a mountain of a goalkeeper for the Spanish national soccer team, which he captained and led to the 2008 and 2012 European Championship (UEFA EURO) titles and the 2010 FIFA World Cup title.
Nadal and Casillas once faced each other in an indoor exhibition soccer match organized by the Red Cross to raise funds for the eradication of malaria. Other Spanish sports icons such as Fernando Alonso (F1), Sergio Garcia (golfer) and Juan Carlos Ferrero (tennis) also participated.
It wasn't quite the best outing for Casillas, as the 22-time Grand Slam winner, who is quite talented at soccer as well, scored a whopping six goals.
4. Zinedine Zidane
As far as French soccer legends go, there aren't many bigger names than Zinedine Zidane. The former captain of the French national soccer team and a part of Real Madrid's famed 'Galacticos' era, Zidane wowed the world with his silky smooth touch, uncanny ability to find space and time on the pitch and wonder goals.
The Frenchman found soccer success beyond his playing days as well, as he led Real Madrid to two La Liga titles and three UEFA Champions League titles as a manager.
Earlier this year, Zidane and Nadal came together for what turned out to be a star-studded 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony. The French soccer icon's role in the ceremony was to pass the Olympic torch to the Spanish tennis legend. The two shared a warm embrace as well.
5. Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone, one of the biggest names in Bollywood, met Nadal in New Delhi, the capital of India, in 2015. At the time, the Spaniard was in the Indian capital to participate in the second edition of the International Premier Tennis League, where he donned the colors of defending champions Indian Aces.
Padukone interacted with the record 14-time French Open champion during a promotional event, which centered around the former's upcoming film at the time, 'Bajirao Mastani'. The two later shared separate posts on Twitter (now X), sharing their respective experiences of meeting each other.
Nadal used the term 'incredible' to describe Padukone, while the latter thanked the Spaniard for leaving her with 'wonderful memories'.