Nadal has often been cited as the most humble and down-to-earth tennis player in the world. Despite being fiercely focused on the court, the Spaniard is known to be of the exact opposite nature when he is not competing.
Many have wondered, however, whether Rafael Nadal’s on-court intensity extends to the locker room too. Some believe his grueling and ritualistic match preparations could create an intimidating atmosphere around him, warding off his fellow players.
In that context, the Spaniard recently spoke to Corriere Della Serra about his attitude to opponents both on and off the court.
Rafael Nadal refuted the suggestion that he intimidates other players, asserting instead that he mostly keeps to himself off the court.
Rafael Nadal’s friendly nature off the court was also recently corroborated by Piotr Sierzputowski, the coach of reigning women’s French Open champion Iga Swiatek. Sierzputowski revealed that Nadal always makes it a point to greet other players, and that he is a very approachable person in general.
“We are not here to applaud each other” - Rafael Nadal
Besides his attitude off the court, Rafael Nadal has also sometimes been seen giving cold handshakes to his opponents following a loss. There are some fans who also question why Nadal rarely, if ever, applauds an opponent’s good shot, the way Novak Djokovic so frequently does.
But the Spaniard doesn’t think much of this claim, which is not surprising given his ultra-competitive mindset. Nadal believes the primary objective of players is to give their best; the applause, according to the 34-year-old, is the domain of the audience.
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