The Prague Post - Grand manners: obsessive Nadal makes tennis history

EUR -
AED 4.189441
AFN 82.122478
ALL 99.38617
AMD 444.214102
ANG 2.055672
AOA 1040.217065
ARS 1343.608003
AUD 1.775789
AWG 2.055912
AZN 1.934467
BAM 1.965855
BBD 2.303583
BDT 138.617798
BGN 1.956065
BHD 0.429828
BIF 3345.347473
BMD 1.140589
BND 1.499041
BOB 7.900236
BRL 6.459384
BSD 1.140936
BTN 96.963255
BWP 15.639721
BYN 3.733632
BYR 22355.543972
BZD 2.291692
CAD 1.579306
CDF 3281.474777
CHF 0.937224
CLF 0.027949
CLP 1072.519062
CNY 8.312273
CNH 8.308609
COP 4809.350456
CRC 576.850522
CUC 1.140589
CUP 30.225608
CVE 110.830915
CZK 24.939008
DJF 202.705848
DKK 7.464533
DOP 67.233893
DZD 150.967792
EGP 57.96812
ERN 17.108835
ETB 152.714369
FJD 2.571915
FKP 0.856684
GBP 0.850087
GEL 3.12493
GGP 0.856684
GHS 17.449971
GIP 0.856684
GMD 81.549488
GNF 9872.938475
GTQ 8.786944
GYD 238.684565
HKD 8.847617
HNL 29.577284
HRK 7.534612
HTG 149.283568
HUF 404.25864
IDR 19160.868303
ILS 4.133939
IMP 0.856684
INR 97.275188
IQD 1494.544418
IRR 48018.795983
ISK 146.118863
JEP 0.856684
JMD 180.732843
JOD 0.808788
JPY 162.398215
KES 147.421348
KGS 99.745129
KHR 4567.260893
KMF 493.29964
KPW 1026.53008
KRW 1637.452794
KWD 0.349681
KYD 0.950847
KZT 585.097575
LAK 24676.786149
LBP 102222.214015
LKR 341.697744
LRD 228.172072
LSL 21.301253
LTL 3.367862
LVL 0.689931
LYD 6.241872
MAD 10.578415
MDL 19.543621
MGA 5073.885599
MKD 61.48562
MMK 2395.099101
MNT 4072.926802
MOP 9.114781
MRU 45.15557
MUR 51.611166
MVR 17.576558
MWK 1977.881951
MXN 22.319136
MYR 4.976393
MZN 72.998056
NAD 21.301253
NGN 1833.485831
NIO 41.984747
NOK 11.813192
NPR 155.14149
NZD 1.911447
OMR 0.439138
PAB 1.140911
PEN 4.181383
PGK 4.724122
PHP 64.313271
PKR 320.62944
PLN 4.266419
PYG 9135.728173
QAR 4.158534
RON 4.978217
RSD 117.812598
RUB 94.270514
RWF 1609.389507
SAR 4.27847
SBD 9.528836
SCR 16.300057
SDG 684.91835
SEK 10.938865
SGD 1.493744
SHP 0.896324
SLE 25.902064
SLL 23917.562056
SOS 652.017845
SRD 42.03056
STD 23607.889008
SVC 9.982974
SYP 14829.853381
SZL 21.294733
THB 38.061642
TJS 12.036253
TMT 4.003467
TND 3.401809
TOP 2.671373
TRY 43.828266
TTD 7.743471
TWD 37.006985
TZS 3068.184688
UAH 47.562258
UGX 4184.402727
USD 1.140589
UYU 48.035274
UZS 14782.481044
VES 98.098277
VND 29655.313432
VUV 137.534697
WST 3.152569
XAF 659.314867
XAG 0.034498
XAU 0.000342
XCD 3.082499
XDR 0.81875
XOF 659.323582
XPF 119.331742
YER 279.501089
ZAR 21.137914
ZMK 10266.666423
ZMW 31.859258
ZWL 367.269186
  • RBGPF

    -2.5700

    60.88

    -4.22%

  • JRI

    0.1280

    12.868

    +0.99%

  • GSK

    0.7550

    38.185

    +1.98%

  • BCC

    -0.4800

    95.03

    -0.51%

  • SCS

    -0.0650

    9.825

    -0.66%

  • BCE

    0.1300

    21.78

    +0.6%

  • NGG

    0.6200

    72.66

    +0.85%

  • RELX

    -0.1900

    53.36

    -0.36%

  • RIO

    0.2600

    60.82

    +0.43%

  • RYCEF

    0.0300

    10.18

    +0.29%

  • CMSC

    -0.0600

    22.27

    -0.27%

  • AZN

    0.1650

    69.735

    +0.24%

  • CMSD

    0.0270

    22.487

    +0.12%

  • VOD

    0.2250

    9.575

    +2.35%

  • BTI

    0.2300

    42.28

    +0.54%

  • BP

    -0.0300

    29.16

    -0.1%

Grand manners: obsessive Nadal makes tennis history
Grand manners: obsessive Nadal makes tennis history

Grand manners: obsessive Nadal makes tennis history

Finicky to the point of distraction, Rafael Nadal cuts an instantly recognisable figure on court with idiosyncrasies that are regarded as charming by his fans but often irritating by opponents.

Text size:

The Spanish great, who won a record 21st Grand Slam title in Sunday's epic Australian Open final that finished well after 1:00 am local time, constantly picks at the rear of his shorts, wipes sweat from his brow and pushes hair back behind his ears before every serve.

At changeovers he superstitiously refuses to step on the baseline and devotedly lines up his drinks bottles, labels always facing the same way, before stepping back into action.

Quiet and modest off the court, his mannerisms on it demonstrate that he leaves nothing to chance in his relentless pursuit of tennis glory.

He has an ability to unnerve his opponents, and can mesmerise them with the power and spin on his huge ground strokes.

Melbourne Park quarter-final opponent Denis Shapovalov became unsettled at Nadal's fidgeting and wanted him given a code violation for pushing the 25-second serve clock to the limit.

The young Canadian complained that the Spanish great was given preferential treatment because of his status in the game.

Nadal, a man who always applauds his vanquished opponents off court, quietly disagreed.

"I really believe that it's always in the mind that top players get bigger advantages and, honestly, on court it's not true," Nadal said.

- 'Life is never clear' -

Just as happy fishing or playing golf at home in Mallorca, Nadal is ruthless on the tennis court.

"He's never seen a point he's not dying to win, a ball he's not willing to chase," said his uncle and long-time mentor, Toni Nadal.

The Spanish gladiator is also humble away from the cauldron of the world's tennis coliseums.

"I have doubts every day but that's good as it makes me work hard with more intensity," said Nadal, whose career has been constantly under siege from knee, wrist and foot injuries.

"Life is never clear. If you have no doubts, then you are very arrogant. I am not an arrogant person."

Sunday's monumental victory moved Nadal clear of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as the first man to win 21 Grand Slams.

"This has been one of the most emotional matches of my tennis career," Nadal said at the trophy presentation.

"It's just amazing. I didn't know a few months back if I would even be playing again on the tour. You don't know how much I fought to be here."

His Grand Slam CV boasts 13 French Opens, four US Open titles, two at Wimbledon and now two Australian Opens.

His 2008 Wimbledon triumph over Federer is widely regarded as the greatest ever Grand Slam final.

He has 89 career titles including 36 Masters titles, one behind Djokovic's all-time record.

- Early success -

Tennis has been in Nadal's DNA from a young age, when he was regularly beating older players.

He won an under-12 regional crown at age of eight. By the time he was 12 he had captured Spanish and European age-group junior titles.

By 15, he had turned professional and, two years later, won his first match against Federer.

At 19, he won the 2005 French Open on his debut, going on to win 12 more times in the next 16 editions.

Nadal has Wimbledon crowns in 2008 and 2010, an Australian Open title in 2009 and completed the career Grand Slam in 2010 by defeating Djokovic in the US Open final, becoming the youngest in the Open era to complete the four-event career sweep.

Only Nadal and Andre Agassi can say they have a career Grand Slam and an Olympic men's singles gold medal, Nadal having claimed his in 2008 at Beijing.

Knee, foot and wrist injuries have taken a toll throughout his career, however, costing him 11 Slam appearances.

After he failed to reach a Slam semi-final in 2015 and 2016 some figured his greatest moments were behind him.

But Nadal won a record 10th French Open crown in 2017, setting the stage for another title run at the US Open in September.

Only Nadal, Pete Sampras and Ken Rosewall have managed the feat of winning Grand Slam titles in their teens, 20s and 30s.

B.Barton--TPP