20-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal has had a great start to his 2022 campaign. He returned to the official ATP tour after five whole months, having played last in August at the Citi Open.

Now, with the Australian Open underway, Nadal entered the tournament as the sixth seed. In fact, he already has a tournament under his belt, having won the warmup ATP 250 event in the Melbourne Summer Set.

Rafa looks extremely focused with his sights on his 21st Grand Slam, and many believe he has a fair shot.

Rafael Nadal feigns a racket-smash

The world knows Rafael Nadal for many things. His fantastically intense game, his legendary Rolland Garros record, and his injuries are just the tip of the iceberg. However, what the world does not know him for, is smashing his tennis racket.

In fact, Rafael Nadal has never broken or smashed a single racket throughout his career. As intense as his game is, this fact does come as a surprise to many. However, the Spaniard is quite proud of never having smashed his Babolat.

Today, ESPN Tenis shared a video of Rafa nearly smashing his racket during a practice session in Melbourne. In the clip, Rafa seemed to play a bad shot and immediately grunt in frustration. Then, he surprisingly looked as if he were going to smash his racket on the ground, only to stop at the last second and begin smiling.

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“Ahhh, they almost believed it,” the official Spanish ESPN Instagram page captioned the video. Of course, Rafa, ever the gentleman, would never break his tennis racket in a match, let alone a practice session. The Spaniard respects the sport too much to let his frustrations out on the tool that helps him play it.

ALSO READ: ‘That’s My Philosophy’: Rafael Nadal Believes in Being Amicable and Respectful With All His Rivals in The Locker Room

This is because of his beliefs regarding what the smashing of a racket signifies. In an interview with CBS, Rafa had explained how, to him, “breaking a racket means I’m not in control of my emotions”.

Rafa breezed through the first round

Rafa’s season could simply not have been off to a better start. Not only did he win an ATP tournament ahead of the Australian Open, but he didn’t seem to break a sweat in his opener.

After winning his Melbourne Summer Set final against American Maxime Cressy in straight sets, Rafael Nadal went on to defeat Cressy’s compatriot Marcos Giron in straight sets, too. Thus, effectively, Rafa has not lost a single set this year, and he couldn’t have asked for better momentum.

Now, he will meet German player Yannick Hanfmann in the second round today, on day 3 of the ‘Happy Slam’. With the defending champion Novak Djokovic out of contention this year, do you think Rafael Nadal could potentially lift his 21st Grand Slam trophy?

WATCH THIS STORY: Rafael Nadal, Naomi Osaka, Andy Murray, Ashleigh Barty, and Other Tennis Stars to Watch Out For at Australian Open 2022