Rafael Nadal and Cristiano Ronaldo are two of the biggest superstars in the world of sports, and indeed outside of it too. One has made a glittering career for himself in tennis, the other in football. So what happens when the pair come together and play a game that’s a hybrid of tennis and football? Some Foot-Tennis of course!
Rafael Nadal and Cristiano Ronaldo play
Nadal and Ronaldo both have astonishing careers. Both have broken numerous records and indeed set some unprecedented records in their own sport. They are both considered to be among the greatest in their respective sports.
The duo play two completely different sports, and yet, they have some similarities in their attitude and character and determination. But they have something else in common…Nike.
Nike have sponsored both Nadal and Cristiano for a long time now. Nadal has partnered up with Nike for his entire career.
Ronaldo signed a lifelong contract a few years back, after many years of symbiosis. A contract that could be worth a jaw-dropping $1 billion.
Nike do not make racquets but they do provide Rafael Nadal’s shoes and his apparel. They do make football cleats and Ronaldo uses nothing but the Nike Mercurial boots.
For a commercial of their Mercurial series cleats, they decided to bring two of their biggest superstars together.
And what followed was just awesome. The duo played a game of, let’s call it, Foot-Tennis.
The advertisement happened way back in 2012. Both the players were at their absolute peak then. Though let’s be honest, they still are pretty close to their peaks 8 years later.
The two are often regarded as equivalents of each other in their own sports. Gianluigi Buffon said something similar last year.
“Lionel Messi is Federer, while Cristiano Ronaldo is like Nadal.”
He isn’t the first to say it nor will he be the last.
I don’t know about that, but why don’t we just get all four of them together and make them play a game of Foot-Tennis? Nike, make it happen!
Oh wait, I just remembered Federer is no longer with them…and Messi is team Adidas.
Rafael Nadal’s clay supremacy through Andy Roddick’s eyes
Former world number one Andy Roddick found a funny and out of the common way of exemplifying how Rafael Nadal’s domination at French Open, and generally in clay tournaments, looks like. The American, who was inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2017, tweeted a video of a kid showing off his dance skills at a party, outperforming everyone else along the way.
As you may have already guessed, the kid’s dominance on the dance floor is an analogy to Nadal’s supremacy on clay courts.
No wonder, as Rafael Nadal won French Open 12 times in his career from his 15 appearances in Paris’ Grand Slam. If we took a closer look at the stats, we would see that Nadal won 98% of the matches he played at the French Open, losing just twice.
The Spaniard has good chances of bagging the 2020 Roland Garros as well since he managed to raise the trophy above his head in the last three years. In 2019, the King of Clay defeated just the man who edged him a few weeks ago at the Australian Open, Dominic Thiem, to add the 12th trophy to his collection.
Rafael Nadal is scheduled to start his 2020 campaign on clay courts at Monte-Carlo in April before heading to his natal country to compete in the Barcelona Open and, a week after, in a tournament that he won five times in his career, the Mutua Madrid Open.
