Watch: When Rafael Nadal went unrecognized by security guard at the Paris Masters 2017

Rafael Nadal is currently hitting the practice courts of the 2022 Paris Masters as he hopes to close the year with one more title win. Although the 22-time Grand Slam champion is probably one of the most recognized athletes in the sport, some apparently still struggle to place him.

In a short 15-second clip posted by a fan on social media, a security guard at the Paris Masters back in 2017 briefly stopped Nadal and asked him if he had a pass. Nadal responded that he was not carrying the same on his person.

Innocently, the guard went on to ask the former World No. 1 who he was, to which the Spaniard politely replied "Rafael Nadal" before getting on inside. What makes the post even more surprising is that the incident happened in Paris, a city where Nadal has won his record 14 Roland Garros titles.

Nadal's year started brilliantly with two Grand Slam titles. However, after an abdominal tear at Wimbledon that forced him to retire in the semifinals, he is yet to find his form. He made an early exit at the Cincinnati Open, where he lost to Borna Coric. He did not make a deep run at the US Open either, with a fourth-round loss to Frances Tiafoe.

But the reigning French Open champion is known to be a fighter and would certainly be preparing hard for another possible win that may reinstate him as World No. 1.

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Rafael Nadal eyes his very first 2022 Paris Masters title

There are hardly any titles that Rafael Nadal is yet to win, but somehow, a Paris Masters win continues to elude the reigning Australian Open champion.

Rafael Nadal embraces his 2022 Australian Open

In a career spanning more than two decades, the Spaniard has surprisingly not made it to any of the finals of the tournament. His best results at the Paris Masters were in 2008, 2012, 2019, and 2020 where he reached the semi-finals. After a two-year gap since 2020, Nadal will now take to the indoor carpet courts of the French capital.

After the tournament, Rafael Nadal will head to Turin for the ATP Finals, which interestingly also remains another missing title from his stellar career. His best results have been in 2010 when he lost to Roger Federer and 2013 to Novak Djokovic.