Rafael Nadal has a pretty distinct routine while playing tennis which Eugenie Bouchard does not relate to at all.
It was fun for Bouchard to make her comeback this year with some really strong tennis. Bouchard was a tremendous talent, but due to some disappointing performances and unfavourable injury luck, she was unable to live up to that talent. She recently touched upon the topic of tennis rituals with Nadal on her mind immediately.
"There are so many, like little weird quirks," said Bouchard on Golf Mostly podcast. "I mean you've seen Rafa mess with his water bottles on the court, I'm not that crazy. He definitely has his whole weird routine."
Like most players, she has her own routines but they pale compared to Rafa's: "For me, it's like eating the same thing in the morning and warming up at the same time. When I made it to the finals of Wimbledon, I listened to the same song right before walking onto the court and it got me far."
Nadal famously addressed his water bottles routine in his autobiography writing:
"I put the two bottles down at my feet, in front of my chair to my left, one neatly behind the other, diagonally aimed at the court. 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."
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