Rafa Nadal in ad for new PokerStars Mobile Poker app

PokerStars recently recruited Tennis legend Rafa Nadal following the pro’s announcement that he wanted to improve his poker game. His debut ad appearance for PokerStars sees Rafa walking through the streets of Barcelona, fully engrossed in a game of poker running on his smartphone as - unbeknownst to him – increasing numbers of fans gather round him taking a keen interest in his poker progress.

Nadal is new to poker, but being a star athlete should give him something of an edge in preparing mentally for success at the online tables as well as on the tennis court:

“I’m still quite new to playing poker and am focused on becoming a better player, so I really didn’t need to act very hard when shooting these scenes,” Nadal said. “Since PokerStars now has a mobile app, I can play with friends wherever I go, whether it’s on my mobile phone or tablet. My friends know I’m naturally competitive, which has served me well in my tennis career, I’m hoping some of the skills I’ve developed on the court will help me improve my poker game.”

The advert was filmed in Barcelona earlier this year, and involved a hefty 80-strong crew plus 50 extras. Nadal has become part of a growing team of great athletes to partner up with PokerStars, joining Sebastien Chabal, Gianluigi Buffon Boris Becker, and Mats Sundin.

You can see the new PokerStars Mobile App advert starring Rafa Nadal here.