Rafael Nadal Emerges as Flag Bearer for Sportsmanship as He Puts Rituals on the Back Seat for ATP Rival

The five-time Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award winner comes into action yet again. Sports persons from all over the world are known for some of the peculiar rituals during their matches. And. the 37-year-old Spanish tennis icon, Rafael Nadal is one of the most superstitious men in the world of sports. How? We’ll look into that later on.

But recently, Nadal’s top-notch sportsmanship act took over his rituals as he chose to pay respect to one of his familiar rivals during their first match at the Brisbane International. Who’s the lucky one? Let’s find out.

Rafael Nadal puts his rituals aside to show respect for his opponent

Rafael Nadal is making a comeback after staying out of action for almost a year due to a hip injury that he sustained during the 2023 AO. The 37YO had undergone an arthroscopic surgery on his left hip flexor in June last year. And he’s now back in action in just over 6 months. Did he show any signs of rustiness in his comeback match? Well, defeating the former world number 3, Dominic Thiem by a 7-5,6-1 margin and losing only 6 points on the serve throughout the match is a perfect answer to this. 

Nadal’s unforced errors were also restricted in this match. A sheer control over his game and dominating his opponent in front of 5,500 spectators at the Pat Rafter Arena deserves nothing but respect.

Talking about respect, the spectators got yet another chance to showcase their respect for the Spaniard in an off-the-court incident. Everyone knows how meticulous the 22 Grand Slam winner is about not skipping his post-match routines. But on Tuesday, he was seen stopping one of his daily routines to clap for Dominic Thiem after their battle. Truly an admiration, isn’t it?

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Dominic Thiem has found himself in some of the epic encounters with Rafael Nadal in the past. The former US Open champion from Austria had faced Nadal in two consecutive finals at the French Open during the 2018-2019 season. Nadal came victorious on both occasions and currently with this latest win the Spaniard now leads the H2H with Thiem by a 10-6 margin. The 30YO Austrian has been struggling to get back his golden touch since suffering from a career-threatening injury in 2021. Perhaps he now needs to follow some rituals too.

Nadal is one of the most superstitious players in tennis

There are several rituals that the former number one follows during a match. Nadal is always seen placing his bottles in the same way diagonally as soon as he enters the court. He then takes a sip from the two bottles during every change of ends and ensures they’re perfectly aligned to the court where he’s going to play. That’s one, and there’s plenty that you’ll love to read about the Spaniard.

He takes a cold shower before every match and ensures his opponent crosses the net before he does during the changeovers. Nadal always wraps a white tap over a black one on his racket. You’ll always find him jumping while the toss happens. He has a unique way of putting his hair behind his ear, pulling his nose, and adjusting his shorts while bouncing the ball during the serves.

Well, fans love to watch this superstitious Rafael Nadal. And, these little moments show us how particular he’s about certain things on the court. Did I miss anything? If you find any rituals missing from this list, please mention them in the comments section.

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