Watch: When Rafael Nadal recruited Ben Stiller to play doubles against Juan Martin del Potro
Rafael Nadal and Juan Martin del Potro turned up the entertainment quotient at the BNP Paribas Showdown in 2013 by making their clash an impromptu doubles contest.
It was a one-night exhibition event held at the prestigious Madison Square Garden in New York following the Australian swing. The goal of the event, conducted since 2008, was to increase tennis participation around the world, especially in North America. It attracted the likes of Serena Williams, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, among many others, before it was discontinued in 2017.
Midway through the second set of the 2013 edition, Nadal got the idea to turn the affair into a doubles match. He walked over to the crowd and asked a familiar face to join him on the court, who happened to be renowned Hollywood actor and comedian Ben Stiller. The American obliged after some initial hesitancy, much to the delight of the spectators.
? Leyeron bien. El actor fue su compañero en dobles contra... Delpo!
También buscó una pareja en la hinchada y la rompió 
Conocemos a Ben Stiller por grandes comedias, pero ¿lo tenían jugando al tenis con Nadal 🇪🇸? Leyeron bien. El actor fue su compañero en dobles contra... Delpo!🇦🇷 También buscó una pareja en la hinchada y la rompió 👇
https://t.co/TquCbdzNzZ
Not to be left behind, Del Potro responded by asking for a volunteer from the crowd to join him against the all-southpaw pairing. The Argentinian's call for help was answered by an eight-year-old girl, another leftie, who tottered out to a rousing bout of applause.
Ben Stiller jokingly trash-talked the girl, mouthing the words "You are going down!" as she geared up to assist her partner in his service game. While Stiller struggled to return the former US Open winner's shots, she held her own against the 21-time Grand Slam champion with remarkable composure.
The pair exchanged a couple of rallies, including a tweener from Del Potro that was much appreciated by the Madison Square Garden crowd. The highlight of the night was when the girl hit a two-handed backhand volley off Nadal's return that whizzed past Stiller to seal the game in her team's favor.
The shot took everyone by surprise, including her partner who lifted her on his shoulders amidst a sea of cheers from the crowd. Before parting ways, the Argentinian also gifted her his iconic headband to show appreciation for her memorable exploits.
Here is a video of the incident uploaded on YouTube:
"Rafael Nadal pulled me out of the crowd, which is simultaneously like a dream come true as well as a nightmare" - Ben Stiller
Ben Stiller recalled the experience in a recent interview on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. The American revealed that he is a huge fan of Rafael Nadal and was invited by the Spaniard himself to the event.
@VarskySports Acá lo cuenta el propio Ben Stiller (vía @teamdelpo) https://t.co/GrABDIepQQ
Stiller described the moment when the 21-time Grand Slam champion picked him to play as both a "dream come true" and a "nightmare," mainly because he was not big on playing tennis.
"I am a huge Rafael Nadal fan," he said. "He invited me to see the exhibition match, which was really exciting. We got to sit in the front row. Halfway through the match, he says, "Should we make it doubles?" He pulled me out of the crowd, which is simultaneously like a dream come true as well as a nightmare, because I really don't play tennis."
The 56-year-old jokingly added that he refused to look the former World No. 1 in the eye because he was embarrassed after his below-par performance.
"[Juan Martin] del Potro went and pulled the cutest little eight-year-old girl to be his partner and I died inside because I knew there was no way to get out of this thing," he said. "Because if I hit a winner, everyone hates me. We play [five] points, and every time the girl hits the crowd cheer, and every time I hit it back into the net. I didn't make eye contact with Nadal, my wife, anybody."