"That's part of the job" - When Rafael Nadal was asked if his then-girlfriend was okay with him playing Shakira's love interest in one of her music videos

In 2009, Rafael Nadal was contacted by famous Colombian singer-songwriter and pop star Shakira to collaborate with her for a music video. The song was called "Gypsy" (or "Gitana" in the Spanish-language version), and was a part of Shakira's eighth studio album - She Wolf.

Nadal was, naturally, asked about his experience during the shoot back then, especially since it involved some steamy scenes. But the Spaniard shrugged off any concerns in his trademark straightforward style.

Gypsy is about a person who keeps traveling like a nomad, and was written by Amanda Ghost, Carl Sturken, and Evan Rogers. In the making of the video, Shakira explained the meaning of the song by saying that it was how she saw the world and lived her life - like someone who was always on the road, experiencing different cultures around the world.

"I think that this song 'Gypsy' is a very faithful reflection of the way I see the world, the way I see myself," Shakira said. "It somehow fits the way I have lived my life since I started my career like a nomad, traveling and observing so many different things from different cultures. I guess that turned me into a gypsy in a metaphorical sense."

She further stated that for the video, she wanted someone similar to her - someone who had traveled a lot and always gave their best. Her obvious choice was the Spanish tennis star.

"When I thought of including someone in this video, I wanted this person to be someone I felt identified with, someone who had traveled the world and had to fight many battles and give the best in himself to achieve something. So I thought of Rafael Nadal because he is also a person who started his career very, very young and pursued his own goals. Also, he's very good looking," she added.

The Mallorcan was extremely happy to experience something new as well. He stated during the making video that the shoot was completely different from all the commercial shoots that he had done till then.

"This shoot is very different from all the others I've done in the past. I've done a lot of commercials, but doing something like this was completely different, and I really enjoyed it. Shakira was, as always, spectacular. It was a new experience, and of course, working with a woman as charming as Shakira, it makes it much easier to tell the truth. It was great, very easy, she's really sweet and that always makes the hours go by faster," Nadal said.

In another interview later that year, when the presenter asked the Spaniard if his girlfriend was okay with the romantic video, he stated that it was a part of the job.

"No problem, that's part of the job," he said.

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"Roger and Nadal were the ideals of tennis in their time" - Stefanos Tsitsipas' mother Julia Apostoli

Roger Federer (L) and Rafael Nadal at the 2022 Laver Cup.

During a recent interview with Russian media house Championat, Stefanos Tsitsipas' mother Julia Apostoli stated that she was not yet ready to put Daniil Medvedev and her son in the same category as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

"Nadal and Federer did not have such a conflict. No offense will be said, but Roger and Nadal were the ideals of tennis in their time. Not yet ready to say that Medvedev and Tsitsipas are ideal players. There is room to grow," Apostoli said.