Tennis champion Rafael Nadal has said that he is eager to experience the incredible energy of Brazilian carnival before gearing up to defend his title at the Rio Open, which starts on Monday.

The 14-time Grand Slam champion said that he really wanted to learn about the carnival in Rio as it had an incredible energy, adding that carnival was like a religion there.

The Spaniard who will join a parade on Sunday with compatriot David Ferrer, further said that he was always fascinated by the carnival and was eager to see it live, the report added.