ONLINE POKER operator PokerStars has signed up Spain’s eleven-time Grand Slam tennis champion Rafa Nadal to its “Team SportStars” squad of sponsored players.
The signing of the former world number one comes just two weeks after the opening of Spain's new regulated online poker market. Frontloaded values the endorsement deal at between $500,000 and $1 million per year.
PokerStars said that Nadal will play online poker during his spare time away from tennis during this summer, and is set to devote more time in the autumn to representing its Team SportStars in tournaments, advertising and charity events.
Nadal is set to play a key role in "introducing new players to the game of poker", particularly in Spain where "online poker is surging in popularity following the recent awarding of government licenses to operate online poker", the company said.
The Spaniard joins German tennis legend Boris Becker, Dutch field hockey Olympic gold medalist Fatima Moreira De Melo and Swedish cross-country skiing Olympic gold medalist Marcus Hellner as a member of Team SportStars.
PokerStars.com and PokerStars.eu operate worldwide under licenses from the Isle of Man and Malta governments, respectively. PokerStars also operates under separate government licenses in Spain, Denmark, France, Italy, Belgium and Estonia.
By Matthew Glendinning
Follow Matthew on Twitter: @mattglen