Watch: Andrey Rublev showcases his football skills to Rafael Nadal during training

Andrey Rublev and Rafael Nadal practicing

Tennis star Andrey Rublev was recently seen showcasing his football skills with a tennis ball to Rafael Nadal in the practice courts.

⚽️ showing rafa some skills 😂💕

🎥 by __angelapalumbo IG https://t.co/X8QgTi0fse

Nadal himself is an avid football fan and is often seen at the Santiago Bernabéu watching and supporting Real Madrid. He is also an honorary member of the club and was also present at their La Liga winning match last week.

Both Nadal and Rublev are gearing up for the Rome Masters as the Italian Open gets underway this week.

The Spaniard is the defending champion going into this tournament as he beat Novak Djokovic in the final last year. He will hope to defend all 1000 of the points that he gained from the victory and move up in the ATP rankings.

Andrey Rublev, meanwhile, reached the quarterfinals of the event last year, losing to Lorenzo Sonego in three sets. He will hope to go deeper into the tournament this year as he is slowly but surely making up ground in the rankings.

Rafael Nadal and Andrey Rublev wait to find their opponents for the Italian Open Round of 32

Nadal shakes hands with Andrey Rublev oafter his victory

The tournaments are coming thick and fast and with the conclusion of the 2022 Madrid Open on May 8. Now all eyes and focus will now turn to Rome as the Italian Open gets underway this week.

Rafael Nadal will face the winner of the match between John Isner and Francisco Cerundolo in the Round of 32 in his opening match. Meanwhile, Andrey Rublev will face Filip Krajinovic in his opening match as both the players have been given a BYE from their first round match.

Ciao, Roma 🇮🇹

Which match-ups catch your eye?

#IBI22 https://t.co/J351cT3Sdg

Nadal and Rublev are on either side of the draw, which means that a meeting between the two can only happen in the final. However, Nadal finds the likes of Novak Djokovic, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Casper Ruud on his side of the draw. Meanwhile, Rublev will have to see off the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev in order to reach the final of the event.

Also Check Out :-Italian Open 2022 Schedule