“Sometimes I Sleep Sometimes Not”: Rafael Nadal Opens Up on His Preparations for Important Matches

Published 12/05/2020, 6:30 PM EST

Without a doubt, World No. 2 Rafael Nadal has the strongest mind for an athlete in the world. The 20-time Grand Slam winner, apart from being one of the greatest tennis players, is an inspiration for every sportsperson. Recently, in a conversation, the Spaniard spilled beans on how much he sleeps before an important match.

It takes something extraordinary out of a person to win a record 13 titles at the French Open. But, the 34-year old, as humble as he is, believes if he can do it anybody can do it. However, there is only one ‘King of Clay’ and he is because of his mind-blowing consistency in performance.

“At the beginning of my career, I was anxious”: Rafael Nadal

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Being one of the three leaders of tennis, the Mallorcan has spent most consecutive weeks in the Top 10 list. Considering this, one would simply assume that Rafael follows the ‘early to bed, early to rise’ theory.

Nadal revealed, “Sometimes I sleep well and sometimes not, before an important match. At the beginning of my career, I was anxious, and now I control it more.” The human body is indeed the most sophisticated machine, but Nadal’s mechanism is surely special.

“Anyway, even if you sleep less, three or four hours, you wake up with the adrenaline rush and compete well,” added the Spaniard. Even then, there is an underlying Rafa element that spurs him more than the rest.

“What makes you win is hitting the ball well”: Nadal

Rafael is one of the two male players to win a career Golden Slam. After his Roland-Garros triumph this year, he added a couple more to his list. Nadal states that it is the game sense more that separates winners from losers.

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Rafael expressed, “What makes you win is hitting the ball well more than the mental issue. Then, in extreme situations, it is true that knowing how to hold the pressure well influences.” The pressure will soon be tested again as the Spanish will compete at the upcoming 2021 Australian Open.

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Unlike many players, the strenuous conditions will not create any hindrance to Nadal’s performance. However, with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic also looking to claim the title, the event looks promising. The Spaniard has won in Australia only once in his career in 2009, Novak holds the record at eight while Federer has won six times.

WATCH: Rafael Nadal’s Top Shots of 2020

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Purav Joshi is a Tennis author at EssentiallySports. Having a degree in Films, Television and Media Production, he guided his passion for writing and journalism into the sport of aces and rallies. With over 2 years of experience as a copywriter, Purav has authored over 500 tennis articles.

“Sometimes I Sleep Sometimes Not”: Rafael Nadal Opens Up on His Preparations for Important Matches

“At the beginning of my career, I was anxious”: Rafael Nadal

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“What makes you win is hitting the ball well”: Nadal