Rafael Nadal's all-white at Golf Son Gual

Rafa Nadal wears the Son Gual brand with pride

World number one tennis player, Rafael Nadal, swapped his tennis whites for golf whites when competing in the Torneo Blanco at the prestigious Golf Son Gual club in Mallorca.

The 2010 Wimbledon singles champion was relaxing ahead of his busy tennis schedule leading up to the US Open at Flushing Meadows at the end of the month, where he hopes to win his ninth Grand Slam title.

The annual Torneo Blanco event is open to members and VIP visitors with a white-only dress code. The ensuing on-course spectacle was enough to make any leading washing powder manufacturer jealous with envy and Nadal’s attendance put many of his fellow competitors in a spin.

Nadal is a frequent visitor to Son Gual and is the latest in a long line of celebrities charmed by the beauty, playability and serenity of the club, which is located just outside Palma on the sunshine isle.

Spanish World Cup winner and Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina took time out after his exploits in South Africa; former footballers Jamie Redknapp, Andy Gray and Alan McInally were among a group of Sky Sports analysts and commentators who visited for an end-of-season golf day; and other familiar faces at the course have included comedian Jasper Carrott, tennis legend Boris Becker and German national football coach Joachim Löw.

www.son-gual.com

Success v Personality - A Difficult Choice

We're a pretty eclectic bunch when it comes to following sports here at Azalea Towers.

Obviously, as we spend a lot of time working in golf, we're all keen golfers. Football - the European variety as opposed to Gridiron - is another one which gets our juices flowing.

Indeed we have pretty much everything covered, as with Henry and Andy having had a public school education, even lacrosse, polo and real tennis get a look-in.

But of course, at the moment, the whole country's only interested in the 'I can't believe it's not real' tennis variety - the one at Wimbledon.

And watching Andy Murray's progress through to the semi-final had me feeling a little sorry for Tim Henman - not an emotion I ever thought I'd feel. It's a fair bet that the surly Scot will achieve more in his career than Tiger Tim did. If he goes on to win Wimbledon this week, the bookies will stop taking bets on the winner of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. And that's somewhat ironic, for Murray makes Henman look like Timmy Mallett.

He is devoid of any personality and must make the BBC sports interviewers long for the chance to ask the taciturn Gordon Strachan for a 'quick word' - "velocity" was the then Saints' manager's whimsical response.

What a trade-off we have to make for sporting success in this country - if we want to win something we have to endure a non-personality (Nigel Mansell); or we can put up with being a popular second and maintain the slapstick traditions of the British pantomime (Frank Bruno).
It's a tough choice and if Murray falls at the semi-final stage we won't yet have to make it.

"C'MON TIM!"

BUNKY