Rafa Nadal To Play EPT Prague Charity Event On December 12th
November 21, 2013 12:35 pmThe 13-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal is all set to play his first live poker event on December 12, when he will take part in a charity poker tournament on the sidelines of the European Poker Tour Prague festival
Nadal took up the game in June 2012 after suffering tendinitis in his knee, which then led to the Spanish pro withdrawing from tennis competitions for several months. Soon after, Nadal was signed by PokerStars to represent the site and under the tuition of “poker coach” Alfonso Cardalda has been homing his skills playing online poker tournaments.
Since then, Nadal has recovered from his injury and returned to the tennis circuit in a blistering fashion with his list of successes including victory at the French Open this year. Commenting on his famous student, his poker coach then said that Nadal’s appearance at the Prague charity tournament was a big milestone in the Spaniard’s poker career and that he was hoping that Nadal’s success on the tennis court would now translate into success at the poker tables.
Likewise, the 27 year-old world tennis number says he is looking forward to showcasing his poker skills in the live arena and commenting on his upcoming engagement, said: “It’s no secret that I love the competition and that’s what I like about poker. It’s a game of skill that requires mental strength and the ability to out-think your opponents and in that way there are similarities to tennis. I have been playing poker online for almost 18 months and now I’m looking forward to the challenge of playing my first live tournament.”
The charity tournament will take place in the Czech capital Prague and will include some of the biggest names in professional poker, as well as many other sporting legends.