By Nick Georgandis
Unable to play tennis for seven months before his return this February, Rafael Nadal went the Michael Jordan route to keep himself entertained and competitive - lots of golf and poker.
"Those were the only two things in which I could really compete over those months, golf and poker., "Nadal said in an interview ahead of the Monte Carlo Masters, where he cruised into the third round with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Marinko Matosevic on Thursday. "I'm a competitive person, I like sports, and through all that time I could not practice movement sports."
Without the ability to run or jump during his rehabilitation of his torn knee ligament, Nadal was forbidden from getting on the tennis court or the soccer pitch, his other big passion.
Although golf has long been a passion of the 26-year-old Spaniard, poker was a new experience for him.
"I learnt to play poker. I did not understand the game, and now I understand it. I see it's fun, competitive. you need to have self-control, to measure times in which you can attack or defend."
In November 2012, Nadal won the scratch golf trophy at the Pula Couse in Palma de Mallorca. In his autobiography "Rafa", Nadal wrote that he considered retiring from tennis at age 19 in 2005 after being diagnosed with a congenital foot problem to take up golf instead.