Rafa Nadal: the old champion still bites!
Rafa Nadal won his 21st career multi-slam tournament, confirming that rumours of his sporting death are unfounded!
Co to był za mecz! Bez wątpienia wczorajszy finał Australian Open był jednym z najlepszych od lat i zafundował fanom tenisa na najwyższym poziomie istny rollercoaster. Dokładnie 5 godzin i 24 minuty, podczas których miałem w sobie wszystkie emocje, jakie może wywołać sport.
Disappointment, when Rafa surrendered the first set practically without a fight and Medvedev the dominator did what he wanted. Hope, when Nadal took the second set to a tiebreak and had a chance to win it. Pride, when being 2-0 down, he was able to pull himself together and win the third set. Excitement, when he managed to reach a draw in sets. And absolute euphoria, when Medvedev hit the ball too lightly, spoiling the last exchange of the match, and Nadal won his 21st Grand Slam title, triumphing for the second time in his career on the fast courts in Melbourne.
Rafa Nadal and his little habits
Watching this match was interesting not only because of the incredible play of both players, but also because of Nadal’s behaviour on court. Rafa has a whole set of behaviours and habits that help him find his rhythm in the match. Nadal himself says that routine and repetition give him a sense of security.
And so Rafa is very careful to tidy up the space around him – he puts away the big match towel neatly, puts bottles under his feet facing the chair to his left or meticulously folds his forehead bands. When he serves, he pulls his shorts (which some see as a consequence of his mismatched underwear, although in an interview his mother explained that it’s just a habit of his), then, bouncing the ball with the racket in front of him all the time, he corrects his shirt first on the left, then on the right shoulder, then touches his nose, left ear, nose again, right ear, wipes his forehead with a terry cloth and finally serves the ball.
He is also known for biting each successive trophy for victory – to celebrate yesterday’s win, his sponsor Santander posted a video on Instagram using this recurring behaviour.
Last but not least, Rafa always plays with a watch – which is quite unusual among tennis players. Anyone who has watched women’s matches will have noticed that our Iga Swiatek or Ash Barty put their timepieces on only after the match is over. But not Rafa – the Spanish tennis player has been cooperating with the Swiss brand Richard Mille for years and it is this cooperation that I would like to dedicate a few words to at the end.
Rafa Nadal ands his Richard Mille 27-04
Rafael Nadal likes luxury products, and his collaboration with Richard Mille dates back to 2010. Since then, Nadal’s hand has often featured this extremely lightweight and highly resistant (it can withstand 10,000G overloads) timepiece, of which only 50 pieces were produced. This is the RM 27-03, the predecessor of the watch in which Rafa played in the AO.
For some time now, we can admire the ultra-light RM 27-04 on the athlete’s right wrist. The watch weighs 30 g and is resistant to overloads of up to 12,000 G; it is equipped with a tourbillon and a 38-hour power reserve. Like the RM 27-03, this timepiece was also made in a limited series of 50 pieces. Its price is around $1,000,000.
