The glory is being happy. The glory is not winning here or winning there. The glory is enjoying practicing, enjoy every day, enjoying to work hard, trying to be a better player than before.
Rafael NadalRead
I'm only superstitious on the tennis court.
Interpretation
Rafael Nadal emphasizes the importance of rituals and beliefs in enhancing focus and performance in sports.
In this quote, Rafael Nadal reveals his unique relationship with superstition, highlighting how he selectively embraces superstitious practices specifically when playing tennis. This suggests that athletes often rely on certain rituals to boost their concentration and confidence during competition, indicating a psychological aspect of sports that can influence performance.
In practice
During a sports psychology seminar to discuss the mental aspects of athletic performance.
The glory is being happy. The glory is not winning here or winning there. The glory is enjoying practicing, enjoy every day, enjoying to work hard, trying to be a better player than before.
I play because I have fun, if I don't have fun on the court, there is something wrong. I am just a 19 year old boy that likes to do what he likes, nothing else.
My motivation and aspiration is the same, being number one or being number five. So that's the truth. And my goal is the same - it's to always be happy playing, it's to enjoy the game and improve always.
I'm not the best player in the history of tennis. I think I'm amongst the best. That's true. That's enough for me.
Hard courts are very negative for the body. I know the sport is a business and creating these courts is easier than clay or grass, but I am 100 per cent sure it is wrong.
If you are playing bad you are going to lose here, on clay, on ice, or on the beach.
Close don't count in baseball. Close only counts in horseshoes and grenades.
Golf is not a game of good shots. It's a game of bad shots.
The ballplayer who loses his head, who can't keep his cool, is worse than no ballplayer at all.
When I go home every night, I can look in the mirror and say I have given 110 per cent for Newcastle United. If people aren't happy with that, I can't give any more.
People on the outside see a Neymar on the pitch, but that's not him. People see him doing tricks and dribbles and think that he is only trying to enjoy himself, that he's selfish and only thinks about himself. But when you share a dressing room with him you realise that it's not the case.
The football field was a place where I could express myself and just be me. Play the game as well as you can and that's what you're judged on. Not the colour of your skin, or your beliefs, or the conversation you have around racism.
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