Rafael Nadal was the top seed in the tournament but had to withdraw at the quarterfinals stage due to injury
Could anyone not possibly recognise Rafael Nadal? Well, it so happened in the very city of Paris, where the King of Clay has won numerous titles. During the 2017 Paris Masters, a security guard who had no idea who Nadal was awkwardly confronted Nadal. A throwback clip of the incident has gone viral on the internet.
In the video, Nadal can be seen walking through the facilities in the French capital on his way to train, greeting people on his way. However, as he approached the courts he was confronted by a security guard who bizarrely did not know who the then World No.1 was.
“Hello sir, have you got your pass?” the guard asked, blocking the world No 1’s route into the training facilities. Nadal replied: “I don’t have it with me.” And when asked who he was by the guard, he replied “Rafael Nadal” and was instantly allowed access to the courts.
The throwback clip from 2017 received instant attention on Twitter, leaving fans quite surprised. Here are some of the reactions from fans on Twitter.
“And Rafa was unbothered that this guy did not know his name”, wrote a fan.
“They need to get security guards who haven’t been apparently locked up in a dungeon since 2005, lol”, joked another fan.
“Imagine not recognizing the king of Paris in Paris”, wrote another fan.
“Tried to do his job but not properly. He didn’t know what Nadal looks like but took his word for it. For all he knew, he just let in a complete stranger”, read another tweet.
“Security guard in a tennis arena not recognising #RafaelNadal would be similar to what;Messi not being recognised at Wembley”, tweeted another fan.
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