Nadal granted request to play earlier by Madrid Open director Feliciano Lopez

Rafael Nadal was scheduled to play at the Madrid Open later on in the day on Wednesday, but his request to play earlier in the day has been granted.

The reasoning behind Nadal's request is rather simple: The Spaniard wants to go to his beloved Real Madrid's crucial Champions League tie against Manchester City that evening.

The King of Clay was originally scheduled to play tennis later on in the order of play, traditionally when the more 'box-office' matches occur, so that as many people as possible could enjoy it both at home and at the stadium.

If he had to play at this original time, he would consequently miss the Real Madrid game. With this in mind, he made a special request to fellow Spaniard and ATP player Feliciano Lopez, who happens to be the Madrid Open tournament director, for his match to be put on earlier in the day.

Confirmation of the reason behind the request was given by Lopez himself when talking to the press.

Nadal is not the only tennis player who is passionate about other sports. The Spaniard is even a very talented footballer himself. His uncle Miguel Angel Nadal famously played for Mallorca and Barcelona.

Unfortunately for Rafa, his busy lifestyle on the tennis tour makes watching his side live near impossible. This is thought to be one of the main reasons why Lopez was happy to oblige when it came down to a simple rescheduling.

Nadal will play either Miomir Kecmanovic or Alexander Bublik in the second round of the ATP Masters 1000 event in the Spanish capital.

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