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Days After Outpacing Rafael Nadal, Jessica Pegula Reveals Her Secret To Success – ‘Always Forgetting To..’

Published Jan 9, 2024 | 7:32 AM EST

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A tennis player is built out of several skills and mastering speed is one of the most crucial. Lately, a challenge has been trending on social media in which players are asked to wrap a grip around their rackets in an attempt to see their specific ways to do it. While Rafael Nadal took just 25 seconds to complete the challenge, Jessica Pegula’s results were much better.

The former World No.3 in doubles recently shared her video of performing the viral Grip Challenge. As the tennis star finished in a relatively short time, she revealed what makes her quicker than Nadal in this particular drill.

Jessica Pegula reveals the secret behind outclassing Rafael Nadal

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The #gripchallenge social media trend has recently been grabbing fans’ attention as they witness their favorite players’ unseen moments of getting their gear ready. Adding to the trend, Jessica Pegula also shared her video of performing the same drill, flexing a great timing of 14 seconds. While the Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal took 25 seconds to get done with it, she outclassed him in this.

Along with sharing her video, Pegula also included a caption that not only gave out the reason behind her speed mastery but also revealed how she overcame the Spaniard’s quick responses. “Brought to you by always forgetting to grip my racquets for matches so I had to be quick in between changeovers lol,” she sarcastically shared.

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As the video made its way on social media as a lighthearted way of grabbing the attention of fans, it gave them a glimpse of the tactics that players use to manage their own firm grips during matches.

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Pegula chooses speed over quality

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While Jessica Pegula managed to finish way before Nadal at the grip challenge, the Spaniard prioritized quality along with speed. As Rafa performed his part of the drill, he mentioned, “Then we need to analyze the quality and not only the speed.”

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However, contrary to the Spaniard’s way of doing it, the American WTA star kept her focus limited to just being speedy. She whispered, “Does the quality matter?” ignoring the role of being precise in rolling a grip. While the drill is totally subjective to what the players feel comfortable with, the lighthearted challenge barely has a point of comparison but is meant to be enjoyed and learned from.

Written by:

Akshay Kapoor

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One take at a time

Born into a family that practically breathes tennis, I spent my early childhood days huddled together with my loved ones, watching the electrifying rallies of the legendary Rafael Nadal. Such a unique experience forged a lifelong love for the sport in me. Before joining EssentiallySports, I honed my skills while working for a regional website, covering a variety of sports.
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Edited by:

Arunima Bhanot