Rafa Nadal hit the bottle before a famous music video which involved raunchy scenes with singer Shakira.
In 2010, Nadal enjoyed his best year on the tennis court, winning three majors in a row – the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open – for the first and only time in his career.
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As his fame grew globally, he was in demand for TV shows and sponsorship gigs.
And he also caught the eye of Colombian superstar Shakira, 49, who wanted him for her new song Gypsy, which was released that same year.
In a video viewed 64 million times on YouTube, the 22-time Grand Slam tennis champion is seen lounging topless in a chair while Shakira dances for him.
The pair also straddle each other while Nadal – the music video love interest – only has on denim jeans and in later scenes they are canoodling and hugging.
The song, which comes from Shakira’s eighth studio album, She Wolf, ends with them sharing a kiss while lying on rocks.
It certainly got the pulses racing among tennis fans and many spoke of the obvious chemistry between the Spanish-speaking duo.
Goodness knows what Nadal’s girlfriend and future wife Maria Francisca Perello must have thought about it.
But in a new Netflix documentary called RAFA, the Spaniard, 39, admits he needed some help before whipping off his top.
In the four-part series, Nadal said: “I remember when I went to do a music video with Shakira. I had to ask for a bottle of tequila to drink a few shots to relax a bit.”
When Nadal won the US Open that same year, thereby completing the Career Grand Slam, his fame went to another level and he appeared on numerous chat shows.
However, as comfortable as he felt with a racquet in his hand, he was not a natural showman in front of the cameras.
Nadal recalled: “After winning the US Open, it was a bit of a media frenzy. But I’ve never liked being the centre of attention.”
His publicist Benito Perez-Barbadillo said: “I remember a lot of media telling me, Oh, he’s going to love to do this.
“I would say, in a very polite way, that’s not the right word. He knew it was part of his job.
“But yeah, doing something out of his comfort zone was not easy.”
— This story originally appeared on The Sun and has been republished with permission
