by Mario Alfonsi | Published on Jun 22, 2012 | Updated on Jun 22, 2012Back in May, we reported on rumors that Rafael Nadal had been approached by PokerStars for a potential endorsement deal, and that at least one Spanish website was reporting he had already filmed at least one commercial for the site. Now, it’s official: Nadal will be endorsing the world’s largest poker site.The terms of the sponsorship were not revealed. It makes sense to assume that the timing of the deal is linked with the fact that Spain recently opened a newly regulated online poker market, and that PokerStars was one of the first companies to receive a license to operate there. As a national hero, Nadal could be critical in building PokerStars’ popularity in the country.But Nadal isn’t just popular in Spain, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him used in medial around the world in conjunction with the poker site. For those not familiar with his career, Nadal is one of the most successful tennis players of all time. He has won 11 Grand Slam tournaments, including the 2012 French Open. He is currently ranked second in the world (behind only Novak Djokovic of Serbia), and only three players in history have won more Grand Slam events than the 26-year-old Spaniard.In a press release, Nadal shared his reasoning for signing with PokerStars.“It’s no secret that I love to compete and try my very best in everything, whether that’s tennis, golf or video games,” Nadal said. “When I discovered the game of poker, I chose to join PokerStars because they understand what it takes to be the best and associate themselves with the qualities of champions.”This is not the first tennis star who has worked with PokerStars. German legend Boris Becker is also signed with the site, and athletes have long been a part of PokerStars’ branding strategy.While it’s unknown how much actual poker experience Nadal has, that will probably have very little impact on his value as a spokesperson. Nonetheless, Nadal said that he hopes to become a good player as a result of the sponsorship.
