“His Swing Is Awful”: Casper Ruud “Criticizes” Rafael Nadal for Unconventional Playstyle

Rafael Nadal was recently overtaken by Novak Djokovic when it comes to Grand Slam victories, with the latter winning the French Open 2023 as his 23rd Grand Slam title. Nadal, who is also known as the ‘King of Clay’ for winning a record 14 out of his 22 Slams in Paris itself, has been out of action since January this year. As the Spaniard has already declared that he would most likely make a return to the ATP Tour in the next 6-7 months, he seems to be enjoying his time away from the game.

One such instance involved him playing golf with the man who he defeated last year in the French Open final to win his 22nd title, Casper Ruud. The two took to the golf course to play a few rounds. And some clips of Nadal hitting the ball on the golf course makes one thing very clear- he has his quirks in golf just as he does on the tennis courts.

Rafael Nadal shows off his golf skills, but with a strange habit

Apart from tennis, Nadal is a massive fan of other sports like soccer and golf; both of which he plays and is decent at. And just as on the tennis courts, Nadal has his quirks on the golf course too. And Casper Ruud has a thing or two to say about it as he walked fans through the Spaniard’s golf routine.

 

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Rafael Nadal’s superstitions that have amazed tennis lovers

For all his accolades and style of play, Rafael Nadal is notoriously known to have what some enthusiasts call as ‘rituals’ on the court, while others call it ‘quirks’ or ‘superstitions’. While many sportspersons have their own set of beliefs which work best of them, Nadal somehow manages to intrigue audiences with his own. For instance, Nadal keeps his water bottles at specific positions at his side of the court, for reasons best known to him. Even when he is about to begin a serve, the mopping of his headband and eyebrows, compulsive adjusting of his shorts and bouncing the ball perhaps more than other players, are stuff of folklore in the tennis world.

However, it seems Rafael Nadal’s quirks are not just limited to tennis. While playing golf recently, Nadal surprised his supporters by going for his swing, right-handed. But the interesting part is Nadal was shaking his whole body for nearly 15-20 seconds, when most golf players are trained to stay still so that they can focus on their target and attempt their swing. Perhaps this is his unique way to concentrate on the ball and keep his mind relaxed in the game.

The video went viral on Twitter and tennis lovers could not help but be reminded of Rafael Nadal’s powerful backhand, that has won him so many points which looked impossible to seal.