Rafael Nadal did not properly answer questions related to some of his strangest on-court rituals until recently during the Barcelona Open.
It's not uncommon for tennis players to obsess and adhere to their routines while on a match court. Tennis fans always scrutinize their behavior and body language.
For many tennis players, these routines occur before an actual match. For some, they extend them while the match is underway. Perhaps one man stands out as the king of the rituals.
Even without the camera zooming in, you would quickly notice that Nadal is playing because he has become quite accustomed to following a paradigm either while serving, walking to his seat, or at the changeover.
He was recently quizzed on his habit of lifting his pants before every serve. The Spaniard usually bides his time as he selects his next tennis ball as if he is scouring for a wedding ring. He proceeds to adjust his hair and rub off sweat, almost as if it is a reflex movement.
Sometimes, Nadal utilizes the entire 25 seconds on the shot clock he has at his disposal as the server and runs the risk of getting a time violation because of this pattern.
As part of the 'Los Gonzalez de Tour,' Nadal sat down for a Q&A session with the two children of Mexican tennis player Santiago Gonzalez. Daughter Camila asked, "Why do you pull out your panties before you serve?"
Nadal hilariously responded that it was an age-old routine that he'd not been able to shake off since he was very young.
"Uf! This is coming from a long time ago. Comes from when I was very very small and it’s something that I’ve never been able to get rid of."
The 37-year-old was knocked out from the second round of the Barcelona POpen to Alex de Minaur in straight sets. Having just returned from a hip injury, Nadal intends to compete at next week's Madrid Open.
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