Tennis players and superstitions.

Professional tennis players are a unique breed of human being. They travel around the world from tournament to tournament, playing tennis against the best players in the world. They give everything in dedication to their profession in pursuit of greatness. Of Course very few players actually reach the upper echelons of the game. The rewards even for the top 100 players in the game are enormous so it is no surprise to see so many players dedicated their lives in pursuit of this goal.

With such a solitary existence, many players travel with small teams throughout the year, it can come as no surprise that players begin to develop good luck rituals. I am sure we can all remember a time where we wore a set of new socks or a new top and we played really well and won. The next game we try those same routines to see if we can achieve an identical result. These rituals are not confined to amateurs but of course to professional players as well. They are as human as the rest of us; they just do a different job. In this piece we are going to take a look at the rituals of some of the top tennis players in the world.

The most obvious and well known superstitious player is the great Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard is the King of Clay and 22 time grand slam champion and over the years he has developed some eye opening on court rituals to the bemusement of opponents and fans alike. Do these rituals help Nadal beat his opponents? It seems unlikely but he has won the French Open 14 times so something must be working. Many tennis fans will be familiar with Rafael Nadal’s pre serve routine, he asks for three tennis balls, sizes them up and returns one to a ball kid. He then puts one ball in his pocket and begins his service motion. Nadal starts by tugging his shorts, adjusting his shirt on the shoulder, first the right and then the left, he next touches his nose and then pushes hair behind his ears, one at a time. Once complete he then bounces the ball and eventually hits his serve. Nobody quite has a service routine like Nadal. Love it or loathe he has always served like this and never bowed to pressure.

Rafael Nadal has also got some other routines that make him a little quirky. On clay courts he never steps on the white lines when he heads to his seat to sit down. Nadal lengthens his stride to ensure he does not touch the white of the line. During matches when clay covers the baseline, Rafa will always clean the line with his shoe before serving. Probably the most curious of Nadal’s superstitions is his water bottle routine. Rafa has two bottles which he puts labels facing towards the court. One is a cool bottle, the other is room temperature bottle which he always drinks from in a certain way. There was one occasion in which an opponent poked some fun at Nadal and tried to mess up his water bottle routine. Marinko Matosevic knocked over Rafa’s bottle to try and upset his rhythm. Sadly the Australians efforts were in vain as he lost 6-1 6-2.

The Polish superstar has ascended to the top of the women’s game and has developed a rivalry with Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka. Iga has won in the biggest events in the world and now holds multiple grand slam titles despite her tender years. She has some incredible shot making and is extremely hard to beat given the lengths you have to go to, to beat her. Iga also displays some little superstitions; on court she always walks on to headphones while listening to music. I guess this is nothing unusual as many players do it. Iga also has a funny ritual after every game in which she runs to her bag to collect her lovely Rolex watch before acknowledging the fans. This is not a contractual obligation however some that Swiatek does as a little routine after the game. Rolex not only has a long tradition, but also impresses through excellent craftsmanship as is the case with the Rolex Daytona.

The newly crowned Wimbledon Champion and world number 1 has also had success early in his career. The Spaniard won the US Open of 2022 and is now a two time major winner with the world at his feet. So what does Alcaraz do as part of his tennis ritual? Surprisingly before every game Alcaraz plays a game of chess. According to Alcaraz this allows him to focus his mind and think with clarity. This reminds us all that tennis is a mental game and is all about the top two inches. In many ways Alcaraz is actively problem solving and developing strategies that work throughout his game. To ensure that Alcaraz’s game is absolute tip top, he takes a nap before his games.