After learning a surprising number of Major League Baseball players, including Tampa Bay's B.J. Upton, Boston's Coco Crisp and Philadelphia Phillies' 2007 NL MVP Jimmy Rollins play his tracks during batting practice, ESPN The Magazine asked Lil Wayne to write a blog on their website. The double-platinum rapper, who has cited ESPN's Pardon The Interruption and SportScenter as his favorite TV shows, gave his thoughts on everything from playing football as a child to his NFL fantasy picks. Wayne's blog could raise a few eyebrows, as he unexpectedly turns out to be an avid tennis fan.

"I had a lot of people over to my place to watch the Wimbledon final this year, and we went crazy," writes Wayne. "I love [Roger] Federer but [Rafael] Nadal is my favorite. He's the man. I love his motivation and his heart is big. He leaves it on the court. And when I found out he still lives with his family despite his success, that was it for me."

ESPN The Magazine's Editor-in-Chief, Gary Belsky says he was honored Wayne offered to blog for the digital version of his magazine, and that Thursday's edition will be the first in a series of blogs. Read Lil' Wayne's ESPN blog in its entirety here.