Rafael Nadal has confirmed in an official statement that he will be traveling to Las Vegas in a few months time to take on fellow Spaniard, Carlos Alcaraz in an exhibition match. It is scheduled for March 3 and is being called the ‘Netflix Slam’, marking the OTT platform’s first-ever foray into live tennis broadcasting. A full house is very much on the cards, with tickets starting just from $88.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner has never been shy of playing in exhibition matches, despite his competitive nature and otherwise busy schedule. While some have been for noble causes, others have been for entertainment or the experience of playing in front of different crowds across the globe. Here are some memorable exhibition matches Rafael Nadal has featured in over the years –
1. Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer – The Battle of Surfaces, 2007
This was a once-in-a-lifetime match since this sort of contest has never occurred again in the sport of tennis in any category. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer agreed to play each other in what is now known as ‘The Battle of Surfaces’ back in May 2007 in the Spaniard’s home town of Mallorca. The idea of this match was the court having clay on one side and grass on the other.
The backdrop was that Rafael Nadal was undefeated for 72 matches in a row at the time on clay. While Roger Federer too had won an impressive 48 consecutive matches on grass, largely due to defending his Wimbledon and Halle titles successfully multiple times. However, it was Nadal who emerged victorious in a high-octane, entertaining clash 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 in front of 6,800 fans.
2. When Nadal teamed up with Agassi to take on Federer and Sampras
Rafael Nadal agreed to play opposite Roger Federer again in 2010, but in a doubles match. It was to raise funds for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Nadal and Andre Agassi took on Federer and Pete Sampras with a sellout crowd cheering on for them.
The match had all the players taking shots at each other or cracking jokes to entertain each other and the crowd. Federer and Sampras eventually won but the match had memorable moments. Eventually, it served its purpose.
3. Rafael Nadal delighted the Abu Dhabi crowd by kicking off 2020 season in style
Rafael Nadal opted to start off the 2020 calendar year in the Mubadala Exhibition tournament. In one of the matches, he took on the then rising star of the sport, Stefanos Tsitsipas. While the match was not officially recognised, the way the two players took on each other, made it look as competitive as a top tournament.
Tsitsipas won the first set in a tie breaker. But Nadal showed his class in a terrific comeback, bouncing back to win the next two sets, although both went right down to the wire.
4. Nadal played doubles with Federer and Gates
Rafael Nadal got another once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, to play doubles with Trevor Noah, the American comedian as his teammate. But on the opposite side, were Roger Federer and the iconic Bill Gates. The four were playing to raise funds for the South African arm of the Roger Federer Foundation in early 2020.
Nadal did not play much in South Africa before that tour, but played one set of doubles. He also played a singles match with Federer and happened to lose both the clashes. However, once again, the memory will always last for tennis fans since it was the last-ever time the duo played a singles match against each other.
5. When Nadal and Djokovic took tennis to Kazakhstan
Although it is believed that Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic do not share a very friendly bond, they put their differences aside to play against each other for a good cause. Both the superstars agreed to participate in an exhibition match as an opportunity for Kazakhstan tennis fans as well as upcoming players from the country to watch them in action and learn to pick up some valuable game tips. This was in 2019 when both the players were arguably at their level best as the top two ranked in the world.
Rafael Nadal won the first set 6-3, but Novak Djokovic hit back to win 6-3 in the second. In a third set shootout, the match went to the very end, and Nadal prevailed 11-9. Both the players notably shared a smile with each other after the match, which is rare as Nadal does not often smile at his opponent while shaking hands after a match irrespective of the result.
