Did you know that Rafael Nadal is afraid of dogs? Haha!
I know right! A world tennis number one with more grand slam titles than anyone in the world,
who has ever held a tennis racket, who is nicknamed the Spanish raging bull…. and who
is completely fearless on the court….afraid of dogs. It is almost unbelievable but he really is….
And he is just like everybody else with phobias, personalities and routines.
But we are just going to circle around that part about routine and get a closer
look into what it feels like to live like Rafael would on a single day.
And if you happen to fear dogs and play tennis, this is especially for you.
MORNING:
Hours of sleep:
Usually, most athletes like to have a good amount of sleep every day to keep
themselves well refreshed and active enough to tackle the day's demand;
for example another tennis legend, Roger Federer can sleep for as long as 12 hours everyday.
But the case is a bit different for the Spanish legend.
Nadal doesn't like sleeping too much except there is a game he has to play. According to him, if
there’s a match coming up the next day, he ensures to get at least 8hrs of sleep the night prior.
But let's hear from the horse's mouth himself:
"I normally sleep well," says Nadal. "When we travel around the world and
there are major time differences, I normally try to arrive with enough
time ahead of the tournament to adapt to the conditions (jet lag, courts, weather)."
But sometimes he might not get enough sleep due to anxiety,
as he admits on a Q&A session he had in 2020 during the pandemic where he said:
"And if for some reason, some days, you are more nervous and you can't sleep much,
you deal with it. When it's match time, the adrenaline will be there"
No wonder he never looks tired on the court.
Hmmm, so adrenaline is also a secret weapon. Noted.
However, on a normal day, which is a day with no competitive games for him to prepare for,
Nadal usually has a different opinion about sleeping.
Here's what he said about losing time when he sleeps:
“I never like to sleep a lot, no. It is obvious when I am in competition and
when I am practicing a lot I always sleep more than eight hours that I need. But,
no, I am not a big fan of being relaxed on the sofa, watching TV.”
Anyway, once the raging bull is up, which is usually at 6 am,
he looks around for food to fuel his raging engine and to get him started with his day…
Breakfast:
Rafal Nadal pretty much has a routine breakfast every day,
especially on match days; he is quoted as saying:
"I don’t change anything even if it is a final or not. I normally eat some bread
toast in the morning, maybe some yogurt. That’s my typical breakfast. Before the match, I take
a piece of fish and some white rice normally. Those are my normal meals before the matches"
For someone who runs 3300 feet per set in every game according to a report by the ATP,
it is only reasonable to get the right amount of calories in his system.
Being a Mediterranean breed, he is also an avid lover of seafood.
He also loves to get his hands dirty in the kitchen because like many of
his social media posts have confirmed, he loves cooking when he has the time.
So, after eating, he hits the court to train.
Training/workout Routine:
Nadal usually trains for an insane 4 hours every day. He may have come from a fine stock
of athletes and even have an amazing phenotype to show for it, but he still indulges in a
lot of rigorous exercises and training to keep fit, build important muscles and stay healthy.
During the regular season, the king of clay, performs exercises
that are tennis-related such as footwork drills, racket swings and ball drills.
But in the off-season, Rafa may switch up his fitness regimen a little to more weight
lifting to get those biceps and triceps ready for the regular season battle.
Nevertheless, he does incorporate a lot of stretching no matter what time of the year it is.
And for the little that has gotten out about Rafa’s training and workout program,
he usually begins by working out on a vibrating platform which generally
helps to reduce pain and soreness and aid in the contraction of his muscles
thereby promoting flexibility and proper blood flow or circulation.
The platform also helps to improve his range of motion.
After working with the vibrating platform at the first stage of his training, he then uses
resistance bands instead of free weights to strengthen his shoulders and rotator cuffs.
Then he works on strengthening other muscles in his body;
He uses front bends, to fire up the muscles in his hamstring, back and legs.
Then he does some push-ups, pull-ups and parallel-bar
dips to further fortify his upper body muscles.
Following this, he does some plank exercises to strengthen his core,
then he introduces a medicine ball which his trainer, Toni throws at him at intervals while
he catches. This is done to work on the muscles in his abdomen and lower back.
Then to wrap up his workout,
he tries to reduce soreness and promote recovery of muscles by stretching.
AFTERNOON:
After completing his training and workout sessions,
it would have been at about 1;30pm in the afternoon.
At this time, Nadal's free time starts and he can do whatever he wants with it.
He not only loves to cook but also likes shopping for groceries as well.
His free time could include him shopping for what he would cook with.
And his basket at the grocery shop will usually include fish, olives and chocolate.
Lunch: for lunch, he could have a mix of fresh veggies, Cannoli, Olives and Fish. if it’s the
off-season he could be seen eaten paella, especially his mother’s version of paella,
wish he regrets not being able to eat everyday because like he once said:
“You eat paella everyday, you cannot play tennis”
Anyway, if he is not grocery shopping, he spends his free afternoon time
with his charity foundation the fundacion Rafa Nadal, a foundation he uses to give
opportunities and empowerment to children with disabilities, through sport and community.
Then maybe at around 4:30 pm, he goes back home for his second and final training of the day.
Wherein he indulges in mostly aerobics.
You'd therefore catch him swimming in a pool or running on a treadmill.
Commenting on his training and workout routine, he said once:
“Sometimes when I have pain in my knees, I do aerobic work by running in water up to my waist"
And all this intense workout Rafa approaches with so much enthusiasm and dedication has
without a doubt contributed to the greatness that he is now in the world of tennis.
And he too is aware of it. He had remarked on his training and his coach and uncle, Toni, saying:
"All that tension in every single coaching session, right from the start,
has allowed me today to face up to the difficult moments in a match
with more self-control than might otherwise have been the case. Toni
did a lot to build that fighting character people say they see in me on the court.”
EVENING:
Rafa's evening if he isn't playing on the court is spent with him relaxing,
indulging in his hobbies and other passions and spending quality time with his friends and family.
Hobbies:
Rafa Nadal, as we've seen already, is not much of a TV person.
But he still enjoys a few movies and some of his favorites are Gladiator and Invictus.
His favorite actors, however, are Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman.
But what he truly enjoys is reading literature, fishing and watching football.
He is an avid supporter of reputable Real Madrid football. And gets particularly
animated in such an adorable way in the stance when Madrid plays Barcelona.
Dinner: dinner for Nadal may include cocktail, paella, shrimp dumplings and chocolate.
Time with friends and families
Nadal is a man that loves to be around people and this is
why he never shies away from being around those whom he cares about.
So some time ago he was seen hanging out with friends at Phi Beach on the island of Sardinia.
Another time, he was at Exuma in the Bahamas.
And he usually does all his voyaging in his superyacht.
Last year after losing to Djokovic in the semifinals of the French Open,
then later withdrawing from the Wimbledon tournament,
Nadal decided to take time off to relax and let off steam.
He had done this too, on his superyacht but his location this time was in the Mediterranean sea.
This break was obviously a much needed one. Just look at how he had come back this year;
the year only just began and he has been named the highest grand slam title holder.
And while he does all these, he never fails to let his body suffer any fitness deprivation;
when asked on an interview how he managed to stay active on vacation, he answered:
“You always have the chance to do some working out. It’s all about routine. You always have
the chance to go for a run, you always have a chance to go for a swim. It all depends on the
type of vacation you’re having. You just need to adapt to the conditions you have in every moment”
So that's it folks, a look at what a typical day in Rafal Nadal looks like.
Now, which of the daily activities do you think you’d be adopting after watching this?