“Outside the tennis court, I’m not a very organized person” – Rafael Nadal rubbishes OCD claims

Rafael Nadal has once again rubbished claims about him suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Over the years, Nadal has made a name for himself as one of the most organized players on the tennis court. From perfectly aligning his bottles in front of the player's chair to engaging in a full-fledged ritual of bodily movements before serving, his antics have labeled him as one obsessed with orderliness.

The Spaniard has, however, denied such postulations in the past on several occasions. He quashed the myth once again during an Infosys event in Vienna recently.

"Outside the tennis court, I’m not a very organized person. I think I’m a hard worker but not very well organized life," he said.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion further stated that he has gotten better at maintaining his room at hotels in the past decade.

"I don’t have the best-organized [hotel] rooms but I’ve improved a lot over the last ten years," he said laughing.

Earlier this year, Nadal became Infosys' brand ambassador. The Bengaluru-based Indian infotech company signed a three-year deal with the Spaniard in August 2023.

Infosys has started developing an AI-powered tool in collaboration with the Spaniard's coaching entourage to facilitate real-time analysis of his performance on the court.

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Rafael Nadal "hopes that things go well" on his tennis return

2023 Australian Open

Rafael Nadal will return to on-court action after almost a year-long gap at the Brisbane International tournament - scheduled to begin on December 31, 2023. The 37-year-old suffered a hip injury at the Australian Open in January 2023.

Ahead of his comeback, the 37-year-old hoped to not overburden himself with the weight of expectations.

"I expect from myself not to expect anything. This is the truth. To have the ability not to demand from myself what I have demanded throughout my career," he said in a video message on X (formerly Twitter).

"Right now what I really hope is to be able to not do that, not to demand the maximum, to accept that things are going to be very difficult at the beginning and forgive myself if things go wrong at the beginning," he added.

Nadal, however, expressed his excitement over the fact that he would get to experience the various emotions of a tennis player on the court.

"I think I’m ready and I trust and hope that things go well and that it gives me the opportunity to enjoy myself on the court. It’s been a long time, so I hope first of all to again feel those nerves, that illusion, those fears, those doubts," he said.