Kia and Rafael Nadal extend partnership by another 5 years

MANILA: Kia and the "King of Clay" Rafael Nadal extend their partnership with a new five-year contract that pushes their relationship past the 20-year mark.

It all began in 2004 when, at 17 years old, Kia Spain sponsored the up-and-coming phenom Nadal. Two years later, at 19, Rafa (as he is known to fans worldwide), became Kia’s Global Ambassador.

"Kia has been by my side since I was 17 years old and has played a big part in my journey as a professional tennis player and as a person. I’m excited to see what the next five years bring both on and off the court,” said Nadal.

The contract signing was done and aired live online from the Rafael Nadal Academy in the tennis star’s hometown of Mallorca, Spain. The event used the hashtag #GetRafaMoving as fans were asked to vote in real-time to get a chance to test Nadal on the court. Fans used emojis in order to tailor the session according to what they want to see from Nadal.

During the training session, Nadal performed a range of drills from knocking down targets to returning balls via amazing trick shots.

“Fans have been without tennis for months now, particularly mine since besides my practice routines at the Rafa Nadal Academy I haven’t been active, so I really enjoyed putting on a special event for them,” added Nadal.

The livestream was hosted on Nadal’s Facebook page on July 24 but fans can see it again in Kia’s worldwide social media outlets.

“Our 16-year partnership with Rafa has inspired millions of people to play tennis, so at a time when he needs his fans the most, we wanted to put them at the heart of his training and encourage his successful return to competition. We are excited about extending our partnership for the next five years and look forward to inspiring each other to continually move forward,” said Kia Motors President and CEO Ho Sung Song.

Photos from Kia

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