Deprecated: Creation of dynamic property Sassy_Social_Share_Public::$logo_color is deprecated in /home3/bbysteps/public_html/wp-content/plugins/sassy-social-share/public/class-sassy-social-share-public.php on line 477
In the history of the French Open, one of the world’s most prestigious tennis tournaments , one player has cemented himself as King. Boasting the most number of French Open trophies at 13 and an unprecedented 100-2 win-loss record in the tournament, Rafael Nadal is virtually unbeaten at the tournament and has a strong case to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time. A key factor that sets Nadal apart from his competition: his mindset. Known as Spain’s raging bull, Nadal has been known for his unyielding tenacity and determination on and off the court. Let’s uncover Nadal’s thinking patterns and have you thinking like a champion.
Tenacity in the face of challenges
Nadal is famously known for his tenacity, fighting to win every single point even when he is clearly at a huge disadvantage. He never gives up on himself even in the worst situations and continues to fight. Watch how when Nadal is on the brink of utter defeat, pulls himself together to complete one of the greatest comebacks in history.
“You can lose technically, but you should never lose mentally.”
Rafael Nadal
Beyond the court, Nadal also faces many challenges that threatened to end his career. Nadal constantly was plagued by injuries that greatly affected his play and even forced him to retire from important tournaments. Most notably, in 2014, Nadal suffered from a back injury just before the Australian Open, which severely hampered his game, resulting in a loss. Despite numerous set-backs, Nadal was always determined to bounce back, leading to his continued excellence over the years.
What happens around us is out of our control. However, what we can control is how we react to these changes. You can lose at everything but you can never let yourself lose at the mental game. Picking yourself up when the going gets tough. That is a personal choice.
Stay humble and put in the work
Many might think Nadal being at the peak at men’s tennis must find the fundamental strokes to be effortless. That is clearly not the case.
“You might think after the millions and millions of balls I’ve hit, I’d have the basic shots of tennis sown up, that reliably hitting a true, smooth, clean shot everytime would be a piece of cake. But it isn’t. Not just because every day you wake up feeling differently, but because every shot is different; every single one.”
Quoted from Rafa: My story
Despite being at the peak of men’s tennis, Nadal clearly believes he has more room to improve, continually honing even the most basic of strokes. It is clearly reflected in his training regimen. Nadal has training sessions that can appear monotonous to others. His sessions are long and rigorous, practicing the same drill over and over again for hours on end.
The “10000 hour rule”, coined by Anders Ericsson paper on the Role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of Expert Performance, posits that mastery of a skill requires intense and deliberate practice of a specific skill for 10000 hours. There are simply no shortcuts in life. If you wish to achieve mastery in anything, be prepared to put in hours and hours of work. Trust the process and let the results show for themselves.
Work on your weaknesses
Nadal was highly successful from a young age, winning his first ATP match at the age of 15 and being the youngest to ever win the French Open at age 19. However, that did not stop him for continually getting feedback from others and working on the weaker aspects of his game. Nadal’s serve has been cited as a major weakness during his earlier years, being noticeably weaker compared to other players. However, Nadal has continued to improve on the mechanics of his serve and now has a much faster and sharper serve. Nadal’s improved serve has led to him seeing more success beyond clay and made solidified him as a strong contender for greatest player of all time.
We often do not confront our weaknesses and ask for feedback because it hurts our pride. This can however stunt our growth and prevent us from achieving our potential. By being deliberate about collecting feedback and identifying areas of improvement to work on, there is potential for tremendous improvement.
Winning is not everything. Attitude is.
Nadal is the ideal competitor. He approaches each tennis match with passion and grit, giving his utmost for every point. Whether in victory or in defeat, he exudes class, respecting every opponent he played with and never losing his temper. He never made any excuse in defeat, even when playing with an injury. In the first round of the 2017 Paris masters against David Goffin, Nadal had aggravated his knee injury and had to pull out of the tournament. Despite his defeat, Nadal waited patiently for Goffin to gather his things so they could exit the arena together. No wonder the media, fans and fellow ATP players had nothing but praise for the Spaniard’s on-court demeanour.
Oftentimes, we can be too result-oriented in our pursuit of success. In victory, we gloat about our achievements and not giving our opponents the respect, they deserve. In defeat, we sulk and give excuses. Achievements are important. However, people are remembered for their actions and not their successes. Set yourself to a higher standard of conduct and you are already an outstanding person worthy of being respected.
Don’t forget to give back
While in the pursuit of sporting excellence, Nadal always remembered to give back to the community. Nadal set up the Rafael Nadal Foundation, to help integrate socially-disadvantaged children into society through sports and education. The foundation has set up tennis academies and schools in Spain and India in hopes of fostering the right values and attitudes in the younger generation.
When approached for a charitable contribution, Nadal has always said yes. In 2018 when the floods devastated his home town Mollarca, Nadal provided a financial aid of €1 million and opened the doors of his academy to house victims of the flood. Recently, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Nadal worked with basketball player Pau Gasol to raise € 14 million to go to the people suffering from the effects of the virus.
Nadal understands he could not get where he is without the help of numerous people. Through his charitable acts, he is paying their kindness forward. We are all people who also have benefitted from the kind hearts and efforts of many people and we should remember to give back to the very community that nurtured us. It is not the amount of money we donate or the scale of our actions that matters. It is the intent.
Spain’s raging bull rages on
At age 35, Nadal does not really show any signs of slowing down. Although he has declined physically, he has maintained a peak mental game that allows him to enjoy a continued stretch of success at the top tier of men’s tennis. Beyond being a fierce competitor with numerous accolades to his name, his attitude and grace on and off the court has cemented himself as a role model for future generations to follow.