Rafael Nadal is playing live poker for the first time, in Prague at the PokerStars Charity Challenge, a sit-and-go tournament that also features other celebrities. He is challenged by soccer stars Ronaldo of Brazil and Andriy Shevchenko of Ukraine, Italian skier Alberto Tomba, Dutch Olympic gold medalist Fatima Moreira de Melo and poker champion Daniel Negreanu. The winner will get €50,000 donated to the charity of their choice, and we hope that it is Rafa! The camera setup for the tournament is meant to provide a “time-freeze” effect around a player. Sounds intriguing. The recording is part of a documentary about Rafa’s poker journey and will be out in 2014. We’ll be looking for it! A press conference was held before the start of the tournament. Good luck Rafa!

Photos: Reuters, Gtres, tn.nova.cz, isport.blesk.cz, unibetpokerblog.fr, pokerstarsblog.com