Rafael Nadal is one of the most popular sportspersons across the globe, which also makes him extremely marketable. Despite being from Spain, Nadal has worked on his English-speaking skills and camera friendliness when not practising or playing on the tennis court. These two aspects have made him a favourite amongst brands till date, even as he is aged 37 currently.
The former World No.1 broke many hearts by announcing that he would only return to tennis action in early 2024, which will also be his final season on the ATP Tour. However, Rafael Nadal is still very much in the public eye and his recent Instagram post has grabbed many eyeballs for sure, as he has bagged another brand endorsement.
Rafael Nadal Bags Subway Deal, Announces Partnership in Witty Way
It is believed largely in marketing circles that to truly be sellable, a celebrity needs to have a trademark of sorts which is recognised across the globe. Courtesy of his iconic Slam Dunk move, Michael Jordan continues to earn billions of dollars till date as Nike has teamed up with him for an exclusive line of shoes and apparel featuring ‘that’ famous logo. Similarly, in soccer, Cristiano Ronaldo’s famous celebration and the CR7 logo make him a darling, especially with the brands he has been associated with since years.
Now it seems in tennis, Rafael Nadal has found an interesting taker for a shot which he has developed over the 20 years of his career to master, the slice shot. No surprises then, that renowned American fast food brand, Subway decided to shake hands with him. Nadal will be one of the two global faces of the brand from the world of sport alongside multiple NBA champion Steph Curry.
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In a cleverly done short video which is tailored for the Instagram and TikTok audiences, Curry comically asks Nadal while holding a Subway sandwich with slices, whether the slices are as good as his slice shots in tennis. In response, the 22-time Grand Slam champion, in his typically modest yet confident way, answers ‘I cannot say that, but yes!’. Later, the left-hander is seen playing the popular backhand slice shot.
Prior to Nadal and Curry, some other notable sports personalities who have endorsed Subway are Marcus Mariota, Carl Edwards, Michael Phelps, Pele and Viswanathan Anand.
Rafael Nadal net worth and prize money earnings
According to a Spanish publication El Mundo, the Rafael Nadal net worth figure stood at a whopping $323.61 million in February 2023. Although Nadal is largely a private person off the court, he has been able to earn more than $500 million with ease over the years. This is due to endorsements with brands such as Nike, Babolat, Kia Motors, Santander, Emperio Armani, Tommy Hilfiger and Telefonica, most of whom have supported him since the beginning of his professional career on the ATP Tour.
Rafael Nadal has the honor of being the second richest men’s player of all-time in tennis when it come to his prize money earnings, which are $135 million approximately. Using these funds, Nadal runs his own venture capital company, Aspemir which earned nearly $22 million in profits in the last financial year thanks to investing in 20 companies. Making the most of those profits and already successful ventures, he will be using that same money to invest in the ZEL chain of hotels in Mallorca.
