Talk about "talking up" a story. Spotted in Miami - from what I recollect he spoke to Shakira after a match where she had been spectating earlier in the day. It is not as if she was an eager spectator at all his matches and then they were spotted out on the town after in the evening. That sort of loose journalism is what could get him in trouble with his girlfriend. There really isn't any story here except perhaps a journalist asking a stupid question and then getting a response which is now labelled a "denial" of a romance. Bet you he'll have a right old row with his girlfriend over it though

The media feed on this sort of thing. If Rafa says he is not involved with her then I believe him, one positive thing though, she could improve his English, because she speaks very good English.

Rafa is young though, it's too early to get stuck with one person for ever, he needs to get out more.

He he no one's talking about his injuries for a change. :)

Haha, like what I said previously, this is all publicity stunt to divert attention away from the injury issue. I just hope it won't backfire, leading to distraction for Rafa from tennis!! Sometimes I think the PR stuff are getting complicated nowadays, and nobody really know how the result or desired effect may be. The worst result may be Rafa being tempted away from tennis, discovering a 'new' way of life and I don't know who then will be responsible for that!!

There is no doubt that Shakira has the hots for him, and rightly so, he is got it all.
Shakira clearly fancies him, why else would she invite him to take part in a sexy video:

LONDON - Popular singer Shakira has made her hottest music video ever alongside tennis star Rafael Nadal.

Dailystar.co.uk reports that Shakira, 31, and Nadal, 23, have appeared almost naked in a desert for the single Gypsy.

There were rumours of Shakira and Nadal dating each other, but Nadal?s spokesperson recently denied these speculations.

Rafa is growing up, this was just an excuse by Shakira to get close to him and Rafa looked like he was enjoying it. I'm sure Uncle Tony will make sure he keeps his tennis head firmly on. Nothing wrong with a bit of fun, although if I was Xisca I would be worried.

wow another verdasco........

Rafa,can't even have a little bit of fun these days without some people jumping to conclusions.Rafa is a young ,good lookin man.they are friends.she asked him and he did her a favor..so what.You only live once.let Rafa have some fun:) but you're right smr..at least it stopped people from talking about his injuries for a while:)

alik well said, I think Shakira first watched Rafa or it would seem at abu dhabi 2009 when he beat Davydenko then it all span from there, I think she is a little fascinated with him after her interview in Miami last year he gave her his shirt! I think it is more her though, Nadal is too smart to do anything damning against his reputation, however he is a flirt, and I am sure he enjoyed this loads. good luck to him. he is young and has a right to a little harmless fun. He does look might fine too I must say *sighs*

wow i just watched 31 secs of that gypsy video - HOT!!

great comments alik & afrodite7, so true!

Holy hell, now THAT'S a real crack. Lol, comparing Rafa to Nando....controversial, but I get/like it. :)

GASP! Are you ladies trying to say that Rafa's being an attention w**re?

:D

If that's what he's trying........it's working, isn't it?

When I first saw this video I couldn't control myself at all. It's great though. He really should get out more.

i cant stop watching that video! has anyone found more than 31 secs of it yet?

stu,

I was on a Rafa forum and that's the only part that has been released yet. But there is a picture of another part of the video in which Rafa is shirtless and Shakira is straddling him! Oh my goodness! Talk about hot! I can't wait to see the full video! I am not sure of the exact release date. I am going to check back on the forum for more details.

for some weird inexplicable reason i find this http://tinyurl.com/yffdhcc much more interesting.

stu,

I just checked on Rafa's official forum and the full video will be released on February 26th.

Vamos Rafa!! The short clip of the video looks awesome!
And Rafa looks hot,hot,hot !!!!!!

It's nice to see another,relaxed side of Rafa, considering how he is always intense and concentrated in matches!!! even if it's part of a scripted clip ;-))

ooo im not like nadal's number 1 fan or anything, but omg he looks absolutely delicious! i want a longer clip!

I'm speechless! They are both georgeous!! Can't wait till 26th...

thanks NNY! i can only imagine what TT will be like this coming Friday :)

Well, I bet uncle Tony doesn't approve and am I the only person on this planet who feels really sorry for Xisca?

I don't think there's anything brewing between them, deuce. They just look really really good together in that video!

What is funniest to me is that some Rafa fans are actually proud about this.

Should rafa be ashamed of his fans?

FEDistheGOAT ,

what is wrong with you?

To clarify, i meant about the rumour. I am sure rafa is very embarrassed by it. Hence i was wondering why some rafa fans are actaully gloating over it. No offense meant to nadal.
Apologies.

oh, ok!
I understood you differently..

Rafa is a young 23yo & I am sure he and his team would've been well aware of the rumours that will start following such a provocative video...Maybe it's all part of his PR, softening his public image, etc etc...

Just to clarify, I am a Rafa fan and have nothing against the vid, actually I think it's fantstic & look forward to seeing the full version.

FEDistheGoat, what gave you the idea that rafa should be ashamed of his fans?
as far as i can tell, his fans are only giving a complimentary take on a musical video!
what's wrong with that? i trust that he knows what he's doing!

i agree with bianca, i'm sure rafa's team explored the implications beforehand! rafa is naive if thought he was going to do a video of this magitude and not expect rumors!

deuce, i'm with you...not terribly comfortable with the video. it's his business but i'd like him to focus on tennis now. as for xisca, well...hopefully she was given accurate details and approved it based on genuine trust :o i doubt he did it behind her back.
toni did say sometime ago that rafa's no longer a kid and will make his own decisions. does he approve? don't know.

As far as I know, Rafa is single.

carrie: what about xisca?

Sibb, until they are married I don't see the problem. Getting married is what determines the commitment, and until then both of them are free to look elsewhere. Maybe they haven't made a commitment yet because they have not made up their minds that they have fouund the person they want to spend the rest of their lives with. If you have to stay with your first relationship for ever, that would be very unusual, and very very few people ever do that.

They are both young so it would actually do them good to widen their horizons a bit.
I don't have any opinions on what Rafa or Xisca do, all I'm saying is, at the moment they have not tied the knot, they are not even engaged, so as a single man, Rafa should not be held to account to all Tom, Dick and Harry about what he does.

So you don't think Xisca should know if he happens to pick up an STD? That's how the AIDS epidemic started : by people fooling around and putting their partners at risk. You have nothing sensible to say.

chr18, I don't want t even go there. I think you have gone too far.

No one would have asked a married man to make a video like that, obviously Rafa is single so he can induldge in a bit of harmless fun, that's all I'm saying.

Hey, guys, I can?t believe you went this far with your talk about Rafa and his new video w/Shakira! I do not think it even deserves so much attention! Rafa does look great in the video, he had some fun, he explored other side of the show business...but he is back training now and focused on Indian Wells and that is what we as well should do! On his face book page that is all he says: training is going well, back for IW for sure...and I think that?s all that matters at this point...I expect him to come out with all his forces to defend the title and to prove how great he is in tennis! You all should leave the story on Shakira behind as it is so irrelevant now...

Oh for heavens sake, he is in a video with Shakira , not sleeping with her and there are plenty of married guys who are doing far more sexual things on camera , Thats why it called a music video or make believe !!!

This stupid conversation just proves that those people who hate Nadal will find anything he does to turn up the venom.

How come Federer hawking his cosmetics and his perfume and hanging out with fashionistas amd music stars like Gwen Stefani is never commented on?

Should I let my disdain for that stuff affect my opnion for Federer's amazing tennis?

Yes, these guys are role models but lets be realistic, they are also human beings; Rafa is injured and on hiatus, he was probably offered a million dollars to lie on the rocks and look at Shakira with moony eyes and he took the offer , why not?

natashao, I 'm really excited about seeing Rafa play soon ... but you should see what's on his facebook page right now (in the photo section).

Yeah, I did see it and must say they look amazing! But, again, I assume that was meant to be achieved through this video exercise...Rafa performs with perfection whatever he does, doesn?t he? :) The media will live on it for a while, should not blame them for it...but that is not the reason for us who love Rafa to fall for cheap and rather disgusting comments on his private life...

Perfection indeed. This is a brilliant bit of publicity ... and from what I am reading the proceeds may be going to charity. Don't let the slanderers get to you. It is just sexy not sordid. Vamos Rafa ... can't wait for Indian Wells.

The picture is truly amazing, they deserve an oscar for their impeccable performance.

WASHINGTON ? Colombian singer Shakira said she thought of Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal for the music video of her single ?Gypsy? because she needed someone that she ?could in some way identify with.?

After the signing Monday of a project with the World Bank in Washington, the artist spoke of the concerns sparked by her video with the athlete, of which 30 seconds were released by her recording company, Sony, as a preview.

In the images, Shakira appears tenderly embracing Nadal in an attitude that, together with some photos of her dining with the tennis player, was enough for some of the media to start speculating on a possible romance, something that was denied by a spokesperson for the singer.

?I thought that maybe I needed someone I could in some way identify with. And Rafael Nadal is a person who has been totally committed to his career since he was very young, since he was 17, I believe,? she said.

The singer explained the significance of the third single on her 2009 album ?Loba? (She-Wolf), a song that represents her ?way of living and seeing life.?

?I?ve been on the road since I was very young, so that?s where the gypsy metaphor comes from,? the singer said.

The music video, shot in Barcelona by the Spaniard Jaume de Laiguana and which will premiere on Feb. 26, shows the Colombian artist wearing a black scarf while the informally dressed Nadal wears a white T-shirt.

Lying on the ground exchanging glances, the singer and the tennis star smile intimately as they embrace and suggestively touch hands.

Shakira, who joked about the expectations the video has created in ?just 30 seconds,? urged everyone to wait to see all of it and said she was pleased with the result.

?It came out very pretty and we?re really happy,? she said.

Skysport is going to show the video after the Murrar/ Tipsa match.

so, did they show the video carrie? can i expect it to be on youtube soon?

stu, it was shown ... just the 30 sec version (teaser). This is what another poster said about it. ( Hope they don't mind. )
"Both Mark Petchey and Marcus Buckland approved of Rafa doing the video ? they said it was ?good for tennis? and (after pausing and grinning and laughing like a couple of envious teenage boys) ?very good for Rafa?. :)"

haha thanks. i'm glad, coz i intend to be watching it the first time it is aired ;)

Here is a link to the video:

http://ballhype.com/video/shakira-gypsy-teaser-new-video-201 0/

thanks carrie, but ive seen the teaser so many times that i think i can play it back in my head while i do calculus. i was referring to the full length video :)

Full elngth won't be out until the 26th I gather.