Kia renews partnership with Rafael Nadal

As the major partner of the Australian Open, Kia Motors Corporation has just announced a five-year partnership renewal with tennis player Rafael Nadal. The announcement took place via a global livestream training session hosted on Nadal's official Facebook page. The broadcast gave fans the opportunity to help get Nadal back to match fitness, as he prepares for his return to the court.

Nadal partnered up with Kia way back in 2004, and two years later, the athlete became the brand's Global Brand Ambassador at only 19 years of age. The renewal signing will extend the Nadal-Kia partnership beyond the 20-year mark.

“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," shares Kia Motors President & CEO, Ho Sung Song. "We are excited about extending our partnership for the next five years and look forward to inspiring each other to continually move forward.”

The livestream aired from the Rafael Nadal Academy in his hometown of Mallorca, Spain, aiming to #GetRafaMoving. Voting through a series of emojis, fans had total control to tailor the session based on what they wanted to see most from Nadal. Throughout the unique training, Nadal took on a range of drills from knocking down targets from baseline to returning over balls with 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," Nadal shares after the training session. "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.” 

The livestream was hosted on Nadal’s official Facebook page last Friday 24th July, and can be viewed on Kia’s worldwide social channels. 

Photos from Kia

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