Rafael Nadal, Ronaldo Nazario join hands to help children with cancer

World No. 2 tennis player Rafael Nadal and football legend Ronaldo Nazário are among several prominent personalities who have joined forces with the 'PlayStation Explorers Club'. The initiative is aimed at helping young children diagnosed with cancer.

Through the initiative, special rooms will be created at hospitals where PlayStation 5 consoles will be made available to entertain young children as they undergo treatment for cancer.

The initiative is supported by the Juegaterapia Foundation. The foundation conducted a study along with La Paz hospital, which found that video games act as a form of pain relief for children undergoing chemotherapy treatment.

More than 50 public figures and institutions across a wide spectrum of fields have come together to support the cause.

As part of the initiative, celebrities and institutions will also donate their personal items. Fans can then purchase tickets available on the Explorers Club of PlayStation website to enter a draw that could help them win the items.

Tickets to bid for any item cost five euros. Fans can bid for the same item multiple times on the website, and also bid for multiple items. The winners of the bids will be announced later this month.

Rafael Nadal has provided a signed shirt that fans can bid for.

Others who have supported the cause include Barcelona midfielder Riqui Puig, Manchester City winger Ferran Torres, Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta, badminton champion Carolina Marin, Spanish forward Alvaro Morata and La Liga club Atletico Madrid.

Babolat to launch special Rafael Nadal range of rackets

Rafael Nadal of Spain poses with his racket manufacturer Babolat at the 2017 French Open in Paris, France

In other Rafael Nadal news, Babolat has announced that the company will launch a special range of rackets to mark the 20th anniversary of their collaboration with the Spaniard. The release is expected later this month.

Nadal has famously been using Babolat since the beginning of his career, so the launch of his new racket line will be of great interest to his fans.

20 years and going strong!To celebrate all those years of partnership and friendship, we have worked closely with @RafaelNadal and designed a special range that bears his name. Save the date, 18.03.2021 ⏳ #PureAeroRafa #BabolatFamily #AddSomeVamos #ComingSoon pic.twitter.com/UU3nn6Zs5E

— Babolat (@babolat) March 11, 2021

Rafael Nadal has not competed since the Australian Open, where he lost in the quarterfinals to Stefanos Tsitsipas. The 34-year-old, whose season has been hampered by a back injury, pulled out of last month's ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam.

Nadal has also confirmed he will not play in Acapulco or Dubai in the coming weeks.

The Spaniard is currently on the entry list for the Miami Masters, which begins on March 22. But it remains to be seen if he will recover in time for Miami, one of the few Masters 1000 events he has never won.