Rafael Nadal faces the prospect of huge lawsuit for backing out of deal to play exhibition event in Argentina

Two Argentinian businessmen have threatened a $10 million lawsuit against Rafael Nadal.

Denouncing Rafael Nadal's agent Carlos Costa for his allegedly impudent working style, Argentinian duo Lisandro Borges and Arturo Alacahan are threatening a huge lawsuit against the Spanish tennis star.

Borges and Alacahan have filed a complaint in Argentina alleging wrongdoing on the part of Costa. According to the duo, Costa backed out of a negotiation at the last minute, resulting in heavy financial losses for them.

Borges, speaking to Argentinian news channel TN, claimed that things began when he and Alacahan received a call from former tennis player Nicolás Lapentti. They then made arrangements for a tournament in their home country that would have Rafael Nadal participating as part of his South American Tour this year.

Lisandro Borges, co‐owner of World Padel Center LLC and Sport Desing SA, has according to Set Tenis launched legal action against Rafael Nadal, with a large sum of money at stake.
denounces the methods from Mallorca's agent, Carlos Costa, when organizing Nadal's exhibition tour

Under the negotiations, there needed to be four stops for Nadal to finalize his participation. Three of the tournaments - in Ecuador, Mexico, and Chicago - were already in place, and Borges and Alcahan agreed to put in place the fourth stop.

"One day, Nicolás Lapentti calls me," Borges said. "He's a former tennis player and event planner, and he had negotiated a tour to take Nadal to Ecuador, also for his brother Giovanni to take him to Mexico, and there was a date in Chicago, but they needed a fourth date."

"For less than four dates, would not have come on the tour for which 2.5 million euros would be paid on each date," he added. "For less than 10 million, he does not move."

Following the cancelation of the tournament in Chicago, however, Costa informed the duo that he had entered negotiations with another intermediary — Marcello Figoli. That reportedly caused him to scrap the entire schedule discussed until that point.

"Rafael Nadal's agent Carlos Costa is the villian" - Lisandro Borges

Borges descibed Carlos Costa (centre) as a "villain"

Borges has claimed that Costa ended the earlier negotiations after being offered a bigger deal, and in essence, a bigger commission, by Figoli. Describing him as a "villain" in the fiasco, Borges said the Spaniard's agent did not bat an eye before walking out of the negotiation.

@Dorli_Wi Actually, this is wrong. There’s a dispute, but it has nothing to do with dates prior to the NA swing. It has to do with an alleged breach of contract by the part of Nadal (via Carlos Costa) with that Argentine. It is still in the ‘maybe’ according to an Argentinian newspaper

Borges is of the opinion that Costa, being backed by a global sporting icon, believed that his actions would not draw any consequences. The Argentine wishes to put a swift end to that kind of attitude.

🇦🇷 @LisandroBorges (Presidente del Pádel Argentino) sobre Carlos #Costa (Manager de #Nadal): “Es un villano, cree que puede hacer lo que quiere porque tiene a Rafael detras”.

Via: @CristinaNcl https://t.co/vipxtTWCR9

He added that the duo did not wish to file a lawsuit against the 22-time Grand Slam champion, but given the amount of losses incurred by them in making arrangements for the tournament, they were left with no other option.

“Carlos Costa has a percentage of what he gets for Nadal, it will be between 5 and 10%, I don't know," Borges said. "But when Fígoli appears and gives him 10 million dollars or euros, the guy wins a million and he didn't care at all. And he thought that since he was Nadal's manager, nobody was going to do anything to him, but it's not like that."

“Costa is a villain and I told him so, but nothing matters to him. He believes he can do whatever he wants because he has Rafael Nadal behind him and I'll tell you something," he added. "To bring a lawsuit against what is in my opinion the greatest sportsman in history, because his manager is a scoundrel, it does not amuse me, but the truth is that when someone causes you as much damage as this man caused us, we have no choice but to do it."