Rafael Nadal is one of tennis’ most renowned individuals, as an elite competitor famed for his relentless work ethic.
And, as is often the case with players of his quality and legendary status, their reputation cannot be contained to just their sport.
Instead, they boast the ability to transcend, and Nadal certainly transcends tennis.
This became especially apparent in 2010, when the Spaniard made the lofty leap from sport into the music world.
What Shakira and Rafael Nadal said about each other
Asked by pop superstar Shakira to star in her video ‘Gypsy’, the 22-time Grand Slam champion was not about to pass up this opportunity, no matter how odd it might have seemed.
It’s clear that, despite coming from completely different worlds, the mutual respect shared between the athlete and singer was apparent.
This was made clearer in their comments about one another after the video had been recorded, with Shakira admitting: “Shooting this video with Rafa was a great experience, he is very sweet and made it easy and fun.
“He and I have so much in common — starting out so young in our respective careers and travelling the world — I felt this would translate the spirit of the lyrics in the song and I was thrilled he wanted to be a part of it.”
Nadal responded: “It has been a great experience and I had a lot of fun doing it. I had some time in between tournaments and preparation, and could not miss this opportunity.
Shakira, as always, was spectacular. Working with a woman as charming as her, well, it makes it a lot easier to tell the truth. It was great, very easy, she’s really sweet, and that always makes the hours go by faster.”
Gerard Piqué’s proposed changes to tennis
It’s ironic that Shakira, who was clearly such a huge fan of Nadal, was married to Gerard Piqué for so long, given how keen the footballer has been over the years to completely change tennis.
As someone desperate to bring all sports into a newer era full of younger fans, his modern suggestions have drawn plenty of criticism.