Rafa Nadal is set to play in a charity tournament in the Czech capital Prague on December 12. The online gaming form PokerStars confirmed Rafa will be a part of the European Poker Tour.

"Rafa will play against some of the biggest names on the international professional poker circuit, along with other sporting legends, who will be announced over the coming weeks,"

Rafa Nadal, said in a statement released by PokerStars:

"I have been playing poker online for almost 18 months and now I'm looking forward to the challenge of playing my first live tournament,"
"It's no secret that I love the competition and that's what I like about poker," "It's a game of skill that requires mental strength and the ability to out-think your opponents and in that way there are similarities to tennis."

Rafa's "poker coach", Alfonso Cardalda, recently told journalists in the Czech Republic his trainee had started out with only a "basic notion" of poker but had made rapid progress thanks to his "competitive spirit".

The tournament is set to take place between December 8 to 18.