Rafael Nadal cameo helps Shakira video up the charts

Photo: (c) Shakira

He may not be rising up the ATP rankings as quickly as he would like, but Rafael Nadal’s appearance in Shakira’s latest music video looks to have helped it to the number one spot on billboard.com’s weekly top 10 music video chart.

The video, which was shot recently in Barcelona, features the 23-year-old Spaniard as the Columbian singer’s tennis heartthrob as the pair brave the desert together for her new single, ‘Gypsy’. When first approached about the shoot, Nadal says he was more than happy to oblige, stating he “couldn’t miss this opportunity.”

“It has been a great experience and I had a lot of fun doing it,” said the world number three. “I had some time in between tournaments and preparation and could not miss this opportunity. Shakira, as always, was spectacular.

“Working with a woman as charming as her, well, it makes it a lot easier to tell the truth. It was great, very easy, she’s really sweet and that always makes the hours go by faster.”

And the singer herself was brimming with praise for Nadal’s role in the three-minute video, which is for the latest single from her ‘She Wolf’ album.

“Shooting this video with Rafa was a great experience, he is very sweet and made it easy and fun,” she said. “He and I have so much in common — starting out so young in our respective careers and traveling the world — I felt this would translate the spirit of the lyrics in the song and I was thrilled he wanted to be a part of it.”

Watch the full video here.