"They know who real star of tennis is" - Fans on Twitter think they've spotted rival brand using Rafael Nadal's iconic grunts in latest commercial

Nike has been Rafael Nadal's sponsor since he was 13 years old, even featuring the Spaniard in some of the most iconic tennis commercials of all time. That's why it was surprising to tennis fans when they felt they heard the Spaniard's iconic grunt feature in a tennis commercial by Lacoste.

While the ad from the French clothing brand did not explicitly showcase the 21-time Grand Slam champion (and they cannot, for legal reasons), the grunt did not escape the alert ears of the Mallorcan's fans. It is no surprise, considering that the World No. 3's grunt is one of the most recognized sounds in the sport.

The former World No. 1's fans immediately took to Twitter to point out what they had spotted, even using the opportunity to take a dig at other Lacoste-sponsored athletes for not making it to the video. For the record, the brand endorses a fair number of top stars, including Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev and Pablo Carreno Busta.

"Y’all hear that? Lacoste has their own players but still featured Rafa’s grunt in their new tennis commercial. Rafael Nadal is always the story," one fan wrote. "Lacoste knew exactly what it was doing adding the grunt that everybody recognizes to that ad lol. They can’t pull Rafa away from Nike but they know who the real star of tennis is. I’m hollering."

"100 percent Rafa grunt. Recognize that from anywhere. Gee, I wonder who else is sponsored by Lacoste and didn't get featured," another fan sarcastically tweeted.

"Every single time that ad is on and I’m not paying attention, I need to look at the tv as soon as I hear the grunt thinking that Rafa is in the ad," one fan posted.

Many fans were of the opinion that Lacoste needs to pay the 35-year-old, noting that it was his grunt that tied the entire commercial together. If it were anyone else, they were confident the ad would not have been anywhere near as impactful.

"Very distinctive. Once heard never forgotten. He must be owed some money for that," one user posted.

"I knew I wasn’t the only one who heard that! Get the attorneys on the line, Uncle Toni!" another fan posted.

Rafael Nadal could be back in action at the Barcelona Open

Rafael Nadal fans may be lucky enough to see the Spaniard back in action in Barcelona

Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal hit an unexpected hurdle in the form of his latest injury diagnosis. The early hardcourt swing seems to have taken its toll on the World No. 3, as he suffered a stress fracture in his ribs during his semi-final clash against Carlos Alcaraz at the Indian Wells Masters.

Although he managed to beat the young Spaniard to record his 20th straight win of the season, the 21-time Grand Slam champion fell in the final to Taylor Fritz. The Spaniard is expected to be out of action for 4-6 weeks and has already withdrawn from the Monte-Carlo Masters (April 10-17).

But according to Barcelona Open tournament director David Ferrer, Nadal might recover in time for the ATP 500 event the subsequent week (April 18-24).