Rafa Nadal

[Munger_Disciple]

I am a huge tennis & Rafa fan. The farewell ceremony for the legend is very beautiful & moving. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjDONWrr46I

 

[Parsad]

13 hours ago, Munger_Disciple said:

I am a huge tennis & Rafa fan. The farewell ceremony for the legend is very beautiful & moving. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjDONWrr46I

 

 

My favorite player all-time, and probably one of my favorite athletes in any sport all-time.  Just an amazing, balls out player and fine human being...like Federer.  I've been fortunate to watch this era right from the beginning of Federer's career and now as we approach Joker's end.  So lucky to have lived through this period where these three players just pushed each other to levels of greatness we will never, ever see again! 

 

I'm also a huge tennis fan, and after being spoiled by such great tennis for so many years...even before that with the Agassi/Sampras era, Graff/Williams eras, and Borg/McEnroe/Everett eras...I've kind of lost heart in the game.  Today, the women's game has tons of young great players coming up, but the men's side is relatively thin still outside of Alcaraz/Sinner/etc.  That type of tenacity and drive is missing on the men's side...to become complete players...to become the best ever!  Miss you Rafa!  Cheers! 

[Gamecock-YT]

 

[Munger_Disciple]

8 hours ago, Parsad said:

 

My favorite player all-time, and probably one of my favorite athletes in any sport all-time.  Just an amazing, balls out player and fine human being...like Federer.  I've been fortunate to watch this era right from the beginning of Federer's career and now as we approach Joker's end.  So lucky to have lived through this period where these three players just pushed each other to levels of greatness we will never, ever see again! 

 

I'm also a huge tennis fan, and after being spoiled by such great tennis for so many years...even before that with the Agassi/Sampras era, Graff/Williams eras, and Borg/McEnroe/Everett eras...I've kind of lost heart in the game.  Today, the women's game has tons of young great players coming up, but the men's side is relatively thin still outside of Alcaraz/Sinner/etc.  That type of tenacity and drive is missing on the men's side...to become complete players...to become the best ever!  Miss you Rafa!  Cheers! 

 

 

In addition to being one of all time greats in tennis, Rafa is the best behaved of all during his career. He never broke a racquet ever during his playing career! He clearly won the game of life in addition to tennis. Fantastic role model for any athlete or human being for that matter. I was privileged to watch him play live many times, and the atmosphere in the stadium when he was playing was always amazing. I am glad that the French honored him with a permanent plaque on the center court at Roland Garros. Well deserved!!

[Gamecock-YT]

He let Uncle Tony be the bad guy

[Parsad]

4 hours ago, Gamecock-YT said:

He let Uncle Tony be the bad guy

 

Not so much be the bad guy.  Tony was taking on other top players...Nadal felt that he needed more of Tony's time to evolve against Federer and Joker.  They had a modest falling out and went different ways. 

 

Federer almost constantly kept losing to Nadal later in his career, but then Nadal would almost constantly lose to Joker as he also aged.  But Joker would struggle and lose to Federer in several big majors.  So how do you decide who was the greatest since each of them were more vulnerable to the style of one of the other three!

 

Because of that, Nadal felt he needed Tony's full attention and wasn't getting it.  Cheers!

[Parsad]

8 hours ago, Gamecock-YT said:

 

 

The whole underwear thing is superstition/OCD.  He pulls the underwear out, moves his fingers over each ear and makes sure his hair is behind his ears, and then wipes each side of his nose for sweat.  He would do this every single time he served or was preparing to receive a serve.  Athlete's repetition or OCD like Steph Curry running to the basket post right before tip-off, LeBron clapping the powder in his hands before stepping on court, goalies in hockey touching the goal posts, using their skate blades to clear the ice from side to side in front of the net, etc.  Cheers!

[Gamecock-YT]

17 hours ago, Parsad said:

 

The whole underwear thing is superstition/OCD.  He pulls the underwear out, moves his fingers over each ear and makes sure his hair is behind his ears, and then wipes each side of his nose for sweat.  He would do this every single time he served or was preparing to receive a serve.  Athlete's repetition or OCD like Steph Curry running to the basket post right before tip-off, LeBron clapping the powder in his hands before stepping on court, goalies in hockey touching the goal posts, using their skate blades to clear the ice from side to side in front of the net, etc.  Cheers!

you know I played goalie in hockey so I know it’s not some OCD tick. I’m guessing you never have, otherwise you’d know the real reason and not just be making stuff up. You give off real mansplaining vibes in your interactions with me, which I find quite strange.
 

not to mention the whole video is supposed to be a joke. Guess you feel the need to defend your hero??

Edited May 27, 2025 by Gamecock-YT

[Parsad]

7 hours ago, Gamecock-YT said:

you know I played goalie in hockey so I know it’s not some OCD tick. I’m guessing you never have, otherwise you’d know the real reason and not just be making stuff up. You give off real mansplaining vibes in your interactions with me, which I find quite strange.
 

not to mention the whole video is supposed to be a joke. Guess you feel the need to defend your hero??

 

Wow!  That was some reaction...or perhaps over-reaction.  Not sure why you feel it was mansplaining.  I was just commenting on his pre-serve ritual...I found the video funny as well.

 

I used to and still tape the blade and grip of my hockey stick the same way I did when I was a kid.  I bounce the basket ball exactly 4 times before taking a free throw.  It's just habit and comfort.

 

In terms of my mansplaining explanation, I'll leave it to a higher authority...The Mirror:

 

https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/wimbledon-rafael-nadals-quirky-rituals-27346077

 

And throughout a career of highs and lows that has spanned more than two decades, Nadal has developed a drawn-out ritual that he insists on completing before and during each game.

 

 

The routine involves 12 steps, and sees him towel-dry his face, bounce the ball 10 to 12 times, adjust his underwear, adjust the shoulders of his T-shirt, wipe the side of his nose, tuck his hair behind his ears and wipe his nose again.

 

It can take anywhere up to 30 seconds for his pre-serve procedure to be carried out, often to the annoyance of his opponents.

 

Cheers!

[Parsad]

7 hours ago, Gamecock-YT said:

you know I played goalie in hockey so I know it’s not some OCD tick. I’m guessing you never have, otherwise you’d know the real reason and not just be making stuff up. You give off real mansplaining vibes in your interactions with me, which I find quite strange.
 

not to mention the whole video is supposed to be a joke. Guess you feel the need to defend your hero??

 

By the way, from what I understand, "mansplaining" is when a man talks down to a woman as if they don't know the subject matter.  I have no idea if you are a man or a woman...and from the username, I would have bet a man...so I certainly wasn't trying to "mansplain" anything.  Cheers!

[Parsad]

Again, not mansplaining...just splaining.  Cheers!

 

https://www.nhl.com/news/goalies-explain-reasons-and-origins-of-preperiod-ice-scrape#:~:text=“It is a good way,that's part of our routine.”

 

https://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/anthony_davis_reveals_lebron_james_bizarre_pregame_ritual_involving_full_uniform_layout/s1_16751_42238703

 

 

[Parsad]

OCD in general public - 1.6 to 2.3%

 

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9490-ocd-obsessive-compulsive-disorder

 

OCD in athletes - double the amount within the average athlete population and far, far higher in professional athletes

 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8785425/

 

Cheers!

[Munger_Disciple]

Take it easy @Gamecock-YT!  I take it you are not a tennis fan. But if you are, and can't appreciate & admire the career of one of the greatest tennis players ever to set foot on the court, then no one can help you. I know many sports fans that aren't even tennis fans and they admire Rafa, so he even transcends tennis. 

Edited May 28, 2025 by Munger_Disciple

[CharlesMunger]

I used to be a professional handball player in Germany, so I know how naturally athletes develop certain habits before games—especially when those routines have led to past success. You could see it clearly in the locker rooms, where many players followed their own rituals and stuck to a specific pre-game routine. See also the current situation at Barcelona soccer players with their bandages. 

 

Nadal himself said that he doesn’t see his routines as superstitions. For him, they’re a way to create mental order and a sense of control. He believes these rituals help him focus and mentally prepare for the challenges on court.  (Placing his hair behind his ear and touching his shorts before each serve, using a towel after every point, carefully placing his water bottles in a specific position, etc.). 

 

I was fortunate to witness one of Rafael Nadal’s final victories—if not the last—at the Madrid Open last year, in a great match against Cachin.

[Parsad]

16 hours ago, CharlesMunger said:

I used to be a professional handball player in Germany, so I know how naturally athletes develop certain habits before games—especially when those routines have led to past success. You could see it clearly in the locker rooms, where many players followed their own rituals and stuck to a specific pre-game routine. See also the current situation at Barcelona soccer players with their bandages. 

 

Nadal himself said that he doesn’t see his routines as superstitions. For him, they’re a way to create mental order and a sense of control. He believes these rituals help him focus and mentally prepare for the challenges on court.  (Placing his hair behind his ear and touching his shorts before each serve, using a towel after every point, carefully placing his water bottles in a specific position, etc.). 

 

I was fortunate to witness one of Rafael Nadal’s final victories—if not the last—at the Madrid Open last year, in a great match against Cachin.

 

When I said "superstition" I didn't mean to belittle the pre-game ritual.  I was just saying that they are exactly what they are...pre-game rituals.  Some people do it for comfort, routine, preparation, etc...but in many cases it is also OCD...they feel they need to prepare exactly the same way, since they've enjoyed success in the past doing that ritual.  One that many soccer players do is ball name up or ball name down on a penalty kick.  I always kicked the penalty with the name on top, dead center.  If the name was off a little, I have to adjust the ball.  Golfers do this all the time as well before they putt.  Cheers!

[dealraker]

On 5/28/2025 at 7:14 PM, Parsad said:

 

When I said "superstition" I didn't mean to belittle the pre-game ritual.  I was just saying that they are exactly what they are...pre-game rituals.  Some people do it for comfort, routine, preparation, etc...but in many cases it is also OCD...they feel they need to prepare exactly the same way, since they've enjoyed success in the past doing that ritual.  One that many soccer players do is ball name up or ball name down on a penalty kick.  I always kicked the penalty with the name on top, dead center.  If the name was off a little, I have to adjust the ball.  Golfers do this all the time as well before they putt.  Cheers!

So way back in 1978 I had won my college conference tennis tournament and proceeded to the NCAA tourney.  Played John McEnroe.  Interestingly at that time McEnroe had a quite normal and average serve motion.  But what he also had was back issues (apparently as per the 'word' being passed along) and he would literally stretch his back before each serve.  I mostly remember it took seemingly ages to get through a McEnroe service game as his repertoire was lengthy...and on second serves too.

 

The subsequent elongated service motion evidently evolved from this back stretching need, and it became legendary for its deception and effectiveness. 

[boilermaker75]

@dealraker When I was working at INTC, McEnroe was a freshman at Stanford, the only year he was there. My wife had a sorority sister, Nancy, who was an Assistant Sports Information Director at Stanford. My wife was visiting her at Stanford and they ran into McEnroe. Nancy introduced my wife to McEnroe and his response was something like, "Why do I have to meet her?"

 

Also back then there was a start of a professional tennis league with teams. I got to see, courtesy of Nancy, Stanford play the team from San Francisco. I cannot remember for sure but I believe Stanford won.

 

Edited May 31, 2025 by boilermaker75

[Parsad]

16 hours ago, dealraker said:

So way back in 1978 I had won my college conference tennis tournament and proceeded to the NCAA tourney.  Played John McEnroe.  Interestingly at that time McEnroe had a quite normal and average serve motion.  But what he also had was back issues (apparently as per the 'word' being passed along) and he would literally stretch his back before each serve.  I mostly remember it took seemingly ages to get through a McEnroe service game as his repertoire was lengthy...and on second serves too.

 

The subsequent elongated service motion evidently evolved from this back stretching need, and it became legendary for its deception and effectiveness. 

 

15 hours ago, boilermaker75 said:

@dealraker When I was working at INTC, McEnroe was a freshman at Stanford, the only year he was there. My wife had a sorority sister, Nancy, who was an Assistant Sports Information Director at Stanford. My wife was visiting her at Stanford and they ran into McEnroe. Nancy introduced my wife to McEnroe and his response was something like, "Why do I have to meet her?"

 

Also back then there was a start of a professional tennis league with teams. I got to see, courtesy of Nancy, Stanford play the team from San Francisco. I cannot remember for sure but I believe Stanford won.

 

 

Cool stories guys!  He's mellowed a lot since then...become one of the best color commentators in any sport.  Cheers!

[boilermaker75]

@Parsad 

15 minutes ago, Parsad said:

 

 

Cool stories guys!  He's mellowed a lot since then...become one of the best color commentators in any sport.  Cheers!

 

You can't be serious. YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!

 

 

Edited June 1, 2025 by boilermaker75

[dealraker]

21 hours ago, boilermaker75 said:

@dealraker When I was working at INTC, McEnroe was a freshman at Stanford, the only year he was there. My wife had a sorority sister, Nancy, who was an Assistant Sports Information Director at Stanford. My wife was visiting her at Stanford and they ran into McEnroe. Nancy introduced my wife to McEnroe and his response was something like, "Why do I have to meet her?"

 

Also back then there was a start of a professional tennis league with teams. I got to see, courtesy of Nancy, Stanford play the team from San Francisco. I cannot remember for sure but I believe Stanford won.

 

McEnroe was something...his social demeanor and his natural talents were not normal.  He used one grip on all shots and at times could play many matches with seemingly such little physical effort that I just found it astonishing.  His old school wood Dunlop racquet and touch game eventually would be slammed by those such as Agassi.   Even with updated racquets McEnroe's 107 mph or so very precise placed serve was nothing but a setup for Agassi's natural torque, and Andre would literally take it inside the baseline and cream it for a winner nearly every time.  Higher ball compression, racquets twice as powerful, and players taller, stronger, thus massively more powerful make for a totally new game where winners are constantly hit from the baseline.

 

I was a serve-and-volley player back then.  That would be an embarrassment to attempt today.

Edited June 1, 2025 by dealraker

[ratiman]

 

 

 

 

 

"You cannot be serious" is a Valley girl expression that McEnroe probably picked up when he went to Stanford. McEnroe's outburst is funnier when you realize that he's imitating a teenage girl. Or he might have gotten it from Airplane and the famous "Surely you cannot be serious" scene.

 

[dealraker]

It is amazing what the McEnroe, Connors, Borg, Evert, Navratilova, etc era did for or to tennis.  I worked at Old Providence Racquet Club in Charlotte, NC during college and they held the NCNB (now Bank of America) tennis tournament each year.  In the mid 70's I'd string the racquets of Laver, Rosewall, Roach, Newcomb, Navratilova and a slew of other top players slightly lower ranked.  All they'd do is give us the "gut" string pack and tell us the tension.  We'd sit on the screen porch and drink a Foster's Lager with the Australian bunch in the later afternoons if they weren't playing that night.  I hit balls with all of the above Australians and Navratilova (and Evonne Goolagong) as did most everyone working the event.

 

Then came Conners and Evert and the like, a big entourage of support staff would arrive surrounding these players - they were mostly isolated from us working the tournaments and I never got close to any of those popular Americans while they were at our facility.  Money had come and it is really amazing where things have gone...just amazing!  It came fast and it was a total change of character.   Stan Smith was an exception, he was easily approachable.

[boilermaker75]

3 hours ago, dealraker said:

McEnroe was something...his social demeanor and his natural talents were not normal.  He used one grip on all shots and at times could play many matches with seemingly such little physical effort that I just found it astonishing.  His old school wood Dunlop racquet and touch game eventually would be slammed by those such as Agassi.   Even with updated racquets McEnroe's 107 mph or so very precise placed serve was nothing but a setup for Agassi's natural torque, and Andre would literally take it inside the baseline and cream it for a winner nearly every time.  Higher ball compression, racquets twice as powerful, and players taller, stronger, thus massively more powerful make for a totally new game where winners are constantly hit from the baseline.

 

I was a serve-and-volley player back then.  That would be an embarrassment to attempt today.

 

I learned something new from you today. I remember seeing McEnroe using a Wilson Pro Staff, maybe in an early tournament on TV, but I see he only did that briefly and mainly used a Dunlop.

[dealraker]

2 hours ago, boilermaker75 said:

 

I learned something new from you today. I remember seeing McEnroe using a Wilson Pro Staff, maybe in an early tournament on TV, but I see he only did that briefly and mainly used a Dunlop.

I saw one of those Wilson Pro Staff photos but don't remember in my era watching him using them.  I think he then went to some graphite thing as time passed.