Tennis Star Nadal Kicks Off Poker Career

Spanish tennis champion Rafael Nadal is best known for his work on grass, clay and hardcourt, but soon he might be talked about for completely different reasons - his performance at the online poker table.

Rafa's poker career begins

Nadal, who recently joined PokerStars as its latest celebrity ambassador, started playing the tables last week under the nickname "RAFA." He joined 1,841 other participating in the main event of the €200 buy-in Spanish online poker championship, and helped boost the prize pool to a surprising €339 thousand.

Although the tournament was one by one of the other participants, Rafa put in an impressive showing. He eliminated one player with a set of tens against a pair of aced, and showed that he has the potential to become a top poker player - if he can put as much energy into it as he has his tennis game.

Big stable of athletes

Rafa signed up with PokerStars in July, as readers might recall, joining a stable of elite athletes who have chosen poker as a part-time pursuit. PokerStars' Team SportStars also includes German tennis legend Boris Becker, and a number of European start from other disciplines.

Big names from other industries have been involved with Team PokerStars in the past, most notably actor Jason Alexander of Seinfeld fame. All this just goes to show that online poker is a game for everyone - from the biggest celebrity to your average punter.