It’s no secret that tennis players are creatures of habit. In my opinion, Rafael Nadal is probably the most infamous of all. While he openly discusses most of his eccentric match rituals, Nadal’s rituals never fail to baffle (and irritate) the fans.
Just what drives this madness?
It’s easy to dismiss his behavior as superstition, or to simply assume he suffers from OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), but Rafa has his own explanation:
Some call it superstition, but it’s not. If it were superstition, why would I keep doing the same thing over and over whether I win or lose? It’s a way of placing myself in a match, ordering my surroundings to match the order I seek in my head.
Here is a breakdown of his surprisingly numerous habits:
Clothing
Nadal’s rituals happen off the court, as well. The Spaniard’s headband is not put on until just before he walks onto the court. His socks can never be more than 15 cm up his shins, and they must sit at the same height with the sponsor’s logo parallel to the ground.
The Coin Toss
Nadal will remain seated until his opponent has gone to the umpire – he will always be the last to the net. During the toss he jog in place and jumps up and down, and afterward he sprints to the baseline.
At Changeovers
Two water bottles (one cold, one not) are positioned on the floor in front of Nadal’s seat. At every changeover, he lines the bottles up so the labels face the baseline of the side he is playing. As they are repositioned he takes a sip from both – without fail. Nadal will also place his towel on his chair with the racket on top, its handle pointing top left and the head bottom right. When walking as he changes ends of the court, using his towel or preparing for the next point, Nadal avoids walking on all lines.
When Serving
Fans really notice Nadal’s rituals when he serves. He always has three balls to decide from before he positions himself to serve. If he has a ball in his pocket he only takes two balls from the same ball boy or girl – not one from each. Before he serves hestarts by tapping the court with the tip of his shoe. Then he picks his shorts out of his butt…ugh 🙄. He follows that with “plucking” his shirt at the shoulders (first the left then the right). Lastly, he tucks his hair first behind his left ear then his right, wiping his nose in between.
When Receiving
He follows the same footwork sequence between every point. As he positions himself on the baseline his right foot steps across to the left, the left goes back and the right then returns to its starting point. And once again, he’ll pick his shorts out of his butt, pluck up his shirt at the shoulders (first the left then the right) and tuck his hair first behind his left ear then his right, with a nose wipe in between.
Between Points
When he uses his towel, he follows the same wiping routine. First the left arm, then the left cheek and behind the ear, then the right cheek and behind the ear, ending with the right arm.
We-ell…. He IS the number one male tennis player in the world, so I guess it works. But if I were him, I’d eliminate (or at least replace) digging in my shorts before every serve. That one is just plain nasty 😛
