Football legend Ronaldo sees the light when it comes to tennis love

Ronaldo could probably talk to you for hours about the technique of football (some call it soccer). He knows how to be successful in the sport and he would probably make you a better player just by being around him. But the sport Ronaldo really wants to be successful in right now is tennis.

In fact, the soccer star said at the recent annual Mouratoglou charity gala on the French Riviera that he was bored with his previous sport and now struggles to watch it. Tennis, on the other hand, is something he could watch for hours and be endlessly entertained. As it turns out, we are just like Ronaldo and he is just like us.

During the gala, a fundraiser in aid of the Mouratoglou Academy, which in turn funds the training of young tennis players (Coco Gauff and Stefanos Tsitsipas are among the many who have been supported by the academy), the soccer star spent 30,000 euros on a racket that Gauff carried during her 2023 US Open final match. She, of course, won the tournament, which gave the racket even greater emotional value. Gauff also signed the racket.

According to Tennis Majors, Ronaldo has trained several times with coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who runs the academy. This has naturally only increased the football star’s understanding of the game, which has led to an even greater admiration for the sport. What’s not to love about tennis, right? It’s the best sport in the world.

At the gala, Ronaldo said: “I love everything about tennis. I think more about tennis than football now. It’s unbelievable. I can’t watch whole (football) matches, I find it too boring. Watching five hours of tennis? (I can do that) It’s too crazy… I train three times a week. I’m very ambitious and I want to improve every day. But my backhand, oh my God… I think that’s the only thing Patrick (Mouratoglou) can’t do.”

Other guests at the gala included model Mary Vitinaros, former boxer Mike Tyson, and actors Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Ari Parker. Over the past ten years, the Academy’s annual event has brought in more than five million euros. That’s good money.

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