Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior in Sports: Congratulations Rafa!

Of the three tennis players with the most grand slam championships, experts consider Novak Djokovic the greatest men’s tennis player, Raphael Nadal the greatest clay court player of all time and Roger Federer the most graceful and beloved of the current triumvirate of great tennis player, each with at least 20 major championships, the most of all time by a long ways. Sampras who is inactive is next with 14 major championships. Nadal is perhaps the most visibly intense on court and now is the player with the most grand slam titles of all time after winning the Australian Open Tennis Tournament on January 30, 2022. Although most of Nadal’s majors have been won on a clay surface, thirteen, he has won on grass at Wimbledon and on hard surfaces at the United States and Australian Tennis Open tournaments. He is far from a unidimensional player. Djokovic might have been the one to break the three way tie of twenty majors, if he was not dismissive of vaccination to prevent covid-19, and, thus, was not allowed to compete.  

One distinctive feature that distinguishes Nadal as he competes is the obsessive-compulsive repetitive actions he invariably displays in preparation and during the play. Compulsions are defined as repetitive behaviors (e.g. hand-washing) or mental acts (e.g. counting) that the individual is driven to do rigidly. The behavior is meant to prevent or reduce distress or prevent some dreaded situation (? losing the match); however, these behaviors are not connected in a realistic way with what they are designed to prevent or are clearly excessive. For example, Nadal always takes a cold shower 45 minutes before a match. He carries one racquet in his hand on to the court after wrapping the white grip on his racquets in the locker room. Other players carry all their racquets in their athletic bag. He always places his athletic bag on a chair not on the court. He crosses the sidelines with his right foot only and avoids stepping on it and ensures his opponent crosses the net before he does during a changeover. He, often before the match begins, runs his sneaker along the baseline of his side of the court, as if wiping it clean, before he begins warming up. When serving he usually asks for four balls and after eying each, he discards all but two and places one in the right pocket of his shorts, serving the other. Looking at four balls before choosing the one to serve is a common means to relieve tension by tennis players, but even in this nonsensical practice, his mannerisms are invariable. One cannot distinguish tennis balls by a quick glance. Moreover, it is likely that the player will choose the ball he last discarded the next time among the two he keeps since they are indistinguishable and it is ridiculous to think that one tennis ball or another will provide the server with an advantage. After each point, he walks in a characteristic manner toward the back court and then to the service line, often with a stutter step. He, also, often walks in a square format. He sets his towel on a backcourt barrier and wipes his face, arms and racquet handle in a uniform way and sequence after each point and then sets the towel back, carefully, so as it has no wrinkles and is a full rectangle. When he sits between games he has one water bottle and one energy drink bottle on the ground at his seat and after he takes a sip from each, always in the same order, they are carefully aligned. (Figure) His most striking repetitive movements are when beginning or receiving the serve. On nearly all occasions he will tug on the back and front of his tennis shorts, always precisely in the same spots before going through his ritual of tugging his shirt on the top of each shoulder in sequence and then touching his ears, nose, and then wiping the sides of his wrist bands on the sides of his face (cheeks) and nose. The actions are very rapid and the sequence invariably the same or virtually the same.

No other player has this degree of elaborate and complex compulsive, rapidly repetitive actions before serving or receiving. These actions represent classical obsessive-compulsive behavior and are presumably a means of stress reduction and confidence building. Do they represent a more severe neuropsychiatric problem? Observers from afar have opined. Most persons who know him do not think so. His off court behavior is warm, interactive, joyful, intelligent and appropriate according to his friends and family. His actions may be an example of a compartmentalization expressed in a vivid way in some situations but not incapacitating in general. One can only surmise this conclusion without more comprehensive examination or the provision of such information by a competent psychologic or psychiatric professional. He is exciting to watch as a player and is among the greatest tennis players and competitors of all time. He is, also, an intelligent, generous and very likeable personality. He has channeled his compulsions into a positive support mechanism for his great tennis skills.