"When you do senseless things over & over, you're superstitious... I told Rafael Nadal to stop" - When Spaniard's uncle Toni commented on his tics

Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni, who was also his longest-serving coach, once shared his thoughts on his nephew's "superstitious" behavior. He cautioned HIM to stop engaging in these rituals, suggesting that relying on them could lead to problems if he felt he needed to perform them to play better.

In an interview in 2012, Toni mentioned that initially, he didn't mind Nadal's rituals, but eventually found them to be compulsive.

"Man, at first I didn't mind, but a player who puts bottles and not step lines is obsessive. Once he told me about a movie, 'As Good As It Gets,' [he said], 'How superstitious the main character was!' And I said, 'He's like you.' And he replied: 'No, no,'" he told Spanish website 20minutos.

The veteran coach added:

"When you do senseless things over and over, you're superstitious. He has told me before he can stop doing them and I have told him to do it. I like things that are logical. It does not affect his game, but if he needed those things to play well, it would be bad."

Nadal is known for his distinctive superstitions and habits that he has meticulously followed throughout his career. Key habits include arranging his water bottles in a specific diagonal pattern and always wearing his socks at the same height, which he often checks to ensure they are aligned.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion also adheres to a strict sequence for serving, such as bouncing the ball multiple times and sipping his energy drink before water, which he insists signals his readiness to compete. These are just a few examples; there are many more.

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Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni banned him from breaking any rackets

Toni Nadal pictured with his nephew at the 2017 French Open | Image Source: Getty

Throughout more than two decades on the tour, Rafael Nadal has never broken a racket, setting him apart from his longtime rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

It traces back to a lesson from his uncle Toni, who firmly told his nephew that he would stop coaching him if he ever broke a racket.

"You throw one racket and I’m no longer your coach. There are millions of kids in the world who would love a racket and don’t have one," Toni told a six-year-old Nadal (via Tennis World USA).

"It would be showing a lack of respect to people who actually have to buy the equipment to play the sport," he added.

The veteran coach continued:

"I was tough because I think a person needs to be prepared for any situation, especially the difficult ones. You can’t make decisions at times if you’re not prepared a little harder. I think he felt I was tough, but he understood it was for his own good."

Toni began coaching Nadal at the age of three and was a central figure on his team until December 2016, when former World No. 1 Carlos Moya joined as a coach. He officially stepped down in February 2017.