Rafael Nadal has spent much of his career dominating clay courts. Now, Kia has found a rather unusual way to turn that legacy into something automotive. The automaker has created a full-size clay sculpture of its EV4 GT, blending traditional automotive modelling clay with material collected from the courts where Nadal won his 63 clay-court singles titles. The one-off creation was presented to the tennis legend at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain, celebrating a partnership that has lasted more than two decades. The project brings together two worlds that have more in common than their use of clay might suggest.
Kia’s EV4 GT Gets A Tennis-Inspired Makeover
The sculpture takes the shape of Kia’s EV4 GT hatchback, but this isn’t a special edition that will be heading to dealerships. It is a full-scale, non-drivable design tribute, built using the same type of modelling clay that automotive designers use to develop vehicle shapes and surfaces. Kia added white design tape across the orange-red body to recreate the appearance of tennis court lines, while bespoke markings reference some of Nadal’s biggest career achievements.
Those details include his 63 clay-court singles titles, a record 50 consecutive sets won on the surface, and the five seasons in which he finished as world number one. The sculpture also carries Nadal’s signature, making it a personal keepsake rather than simply a promotional display. You can see the finished creation and how it came together in Kia’s official King of Clay project.
A Partnership That Goes Back More Than 20 Years
Kia’s relationship with Nadal began in 2004, when its Spanish division supported the young tennis player. He became the brand’s global ambassador in 2006, following his first Grand Slam victory at the French Open in 2005. The partnership has continued even after Nadal retired from professional tennis in 2024. As we covered in our earlier story, Nadal became Kia’s global brand ambassador at the beginning of his rise to tennis stardom.
The EV4 GT is an interesting choice for the tribute, too. It is part of Kia’s growing range of performance-focused electric models, which also includes the EV3 GT and EV5 GT. We previously looked at Kia’s upcoming performance EV lineup, while our first look at the EV4 GT explored the electric hatchback’s sporty ambitions. Kia has also used the EV4 to showcase its evolving electric-car design, as seen in our coverage of the EV4 concept.
For Nadal, the sculpture is a tribute to the surface that defined his career. For Kia, it is a clever way to connect its design process with one of the most recognisable sporting partnerships in tennis.
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