VIDEO | Rafael Nadal finally answers why he arranges bottles during matches

01/16/2019

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Rafael Nadal advanced to the round of 32 with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 win over Mathew Ebden on Wednesday and he will face Aussie Alex de Minaur in the next round. However, the highlight of the match was his post-match interview where Nadal 'spoke' about his new remodelled serve and his bottle superstitions.

The big three have all started the Australian Open with comfortable wins with Nadal being the last one to finish the formality. Playing against a localite Ebden, the Spaniard had a gala day where his movement hardly suggested that he has returned from an injury while his winners clearly indicated that he was right to be considered as a major contender.

However, the interesting part came after the match when John McEnroe came on to take his interview. First up was the most anticipated question about Nadal’s new improvised serve that was seemingly designed to quicken his points and at the same time reducing the strain on his body. It worked well as he hit six aces, winning 81% of first-serve points. However, without delving more into it, Nadal dismissed it by saying, “My serve worked well. I don't know my percentage, but was a lot of good positions after the first serve. I felt solid with the second."

One watching Nadal’s match cannot just overlook the rituals that Nadal follows, which has led many to believe that Nadal suffers from Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). McEnroe was quick to follow up with Nadal’s reason to arrange bottle in a particular order. Nadal was quick to answer honestly, “There’s always one important thing in life. If things are working, don’t change it. If they aren’t, change it… And (he smiles), the bottles have been working very, very well in my career.”

You can watch the entire interaction here: