Ever since he signed with PokerStars last year, Rafael Nadal has been slowly improving his poker game. The tennis star has participated in both online cash games and tournaments, even winning a sizable tourney back in January. Now Rafa is preparing to play in his first ever live event at EPT Prague, which runs from December 8th-18th.
It’s not entirely clear what event Nadal will play at EPT Prague, whether it be a side tourney or the Main Event. But PokerStars is pretty confident that their most famous sponsored player will sit down to the felt somewhere.
The eight-time French Open champion is taking this venture pretty seriously too because he’s working with a poker coach named Alfonso Cardalda. PokerStars filmed a segment about Nadal’s training as he sat down to play an SNG with Cardala and his friends.
One by one, Rafa’s buddies fell by the wayside while he remained in the small tourney. This eventually led to a heads-up showdown with his mentor. After putting up a decent fight, Nadal was eliminated by Cardalda, showing that he still has some work ahead of him in the poker world.
But even though he didn’t win the tourney, it seems like the world’s number two-ranked tennis player is getting better by the day. Whether he’s good enough to experience success at EPT remains to be seen. But perhaps Rafa could be capable of cashing if he continues working on his game.
Assuming you’d like to see the PokerStars segment, which gives a nice look into how Nadal is progressing, check it out below. And after watching, you might even consider getting a poker coach yourself too!