“When I train, I don’t have rituals” Rafael Nadal explains why he has on-court rituals and why he wishes he didn’t have them
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Rafael Nadal
World No. 5 and 21-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal is dubbed as one of the most superstitious players on the Tour. While his routine before every serve is well known to everyone, there is a list of things that the Spaniard keeps in mind every time he enters the court for a match.
These mannerisms are now quite famous and even the ball kids help Nadal follow them. Nadal however wishes that he did not follow so many rituals while playing as he believes they often act as a distraction and in the game of tennis, one needs to remain focussed throughout the match.
“I believe that the fewer weird things to do to focus, the better. And I say that then when I have particularly marked rituals when I play. I’d much rather not do them. That doesn’t sound like an excuse, but tennis is a mentally aggressive sport, it demands a lot of you at all times; the slightest mistake sends you home.
“You have to find a way to be 100% focused, without being distracted by outside things. Generally, I am a focused person. I don’t know if it’s positive or negative, but it works for me to have rituals. When I train, I don’t have rituals, but competition gives me this security and isolation,” said Nadal during a recent mental health conference at the Rafa Nadal Academy.
Rafael Nadal’s rituals on the court
Nadal’s rituals include entering the court with one racquet in his hand, crossing any court line with his right foot first avoiding any cutting of lines. Before the commencement of the match, he is always late in joining the opponent and the chair umpire at the net for the toss. He takes a bite of his energy gel and hands over his energy drink bottles to the ball kids before going for the toss during which he keeps jumping.
Nadal goes to the baseline after the toss running in a zig-zag manner. For every serve, Nadal has a set routine of arranging his shirt and hair and keeps a count of the bounce before serving for the ball. Nadal always gets the towel after playing every point and sips his energy drink before drinking water.
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Sarthak Shitole
(3462 Articles Published)