Rafael Nadal Vs. Ronaldo In Poker Heads-Up Challenge

Two sports greats will meet in a live head-to-head poker match as one of the tennis’ best, Rafael Nadal goes against football legend, Ronaldo in the battle called “The Duel” with the game to be broadcasted live from London.

The action on the felt between the Spanish tennis and Brazilian soccer stars is scheduled on Nov. 6, 2014. The announcement was made by PokerStars, one of the leading poker rooms online, in an official press release on Friday.

Tennis Great vs. Soccer Legend II

This is the second time that Nadal and Ronaldo will meet on the felt. Last Dec. 2013, both played in the European Poker Tour (EPT) Prague Charity Challenge where Nadal won against Ronaldo and Daniel Negreanu, one of the best and most popular poker players in the world.

“It was my first live poker tournament when I last played against Ronaldo and one year later I’m more confident with my skill level. I really enjoy playing poker and the challenge of learning as quickly as possible, so I can’t wait to get back into training on my game and to play against Ronaldo,” Nadal, who is currently ranked no. 2 in the men’s singles tennis rankings, said in the same press release.

“I challenged Rafa to a rematch after finding out he was preparing for another live poker game. The last time we played together Rafa won the match and it was a lot of fun. This time it will be different, though, because I have been improving on my own poker strategy and will be more prepared,” Ronaldo countered.

Successful Careers for Nadal and Ronaldo

Nadal is one of the best in his sport winning a total of 14 tennis Grand Slam titles just three off the all-time record of 17 majors championships held by rival Roger Federer. Meanwhile, Ronaldo was named the FIFA World Player of the Year in 1996, 1997 and 2002. He has played in 98 games for the national team with 62 goals in his international career. Ronaldo was part of the World Cup champion teams in 1994 and 2002.

"In recent months Nadal has taken a short timeout from playing poker in a live environment, but will now resume his training regime. He will be honing his skills over the next couple of months in preparation for the match, which will be something of a revenge mission for Ronaldo," the PokerStars press release stated.

Both Nadal and Ronaldo are obviously experts in their own sport. In November, they’d have a chance to one-up another and rule in another sport, poker.