Tennis players put a lot of emotion into their performance, and the intense competition in the game frequently wins out. Carlos Alcaraz recently made news when, during his Cincinnati Masters defeat to Gael Monfils, he broke his racket for the first time in his career.
Numerous elite athletes have lost their composure while competing on the court over the years. Several tennis players, including Serena Williams, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic, have smashed rackets out of frustration. Some people have, nevertheless, made a stance against it.
These three tennis players have expressed their disapproval of the practice of breaking rackets while competing on the court.
Tennis players who are well-known for speaking out against racket breaking Rafael Nadal
One of the best tennis players of all time, Rafael Nadal is regarded as a hero for aspiring players. Throughout his career, the Spaniard has never broken a racket—a record that no other elite tennis player can equal.
The Spanish sensation has never broken his racket on the court as a way to vent his displeasure, even during dark times in his career. Instead, he has always maintained emotional control. In 2020, he addressed this and stated (via Hola):
“I couldn’t have broken a racket without the support of my family.” For me, losing emotional control would equate to breaking a racket.”
Toni Nadal, Rafael Nadal’s uncle and long-time coach, also offered his opinion. The Spanish instructor claimed that Nadal had cultivated this tendency since he was six years old and threatened to quit coaching the young Spaniard the day he shattered his racket. Through Tennis World, he stated:
“I’m not your coach anymore once you chuck one racket. Millions of children around the world wish they had a racket but do not. A racket has never been broken by Nadal.”
Rafael Nadal has had 20 years of professional experience, and in that time he has never broken a racquet.
#2 Casper Ruud
Another famous tennis player who has never broken a racket is Casper Ruud. The Norwegian, who attended the Rafael Nadal Academy, is an avid fan of the tennis player. According to First Sportz, the former World No. 2 has stated that he hopes to play his entire career without breaking a racket:
“My goal is to finish my career without ever breaking a racket. Only Rafael Nadal is among the top 10 players that I can think of who has accomplished it. With the exception of the one occasion in Miami when he damaged his racket, (Roger) Federer has also been outstanding.”
To now, Ruud has been successful in keeping his racket intact unlike Rafael Nadal. The 25-year-old is becoming recognised as one of the world’s top players.
#3 Tennis player Maria Sharapova
One of the most accomplished female tennis players of all time is Maria Sharapova. After winning the Wimbledon title at the age of 17, the Russian took the world by storm and went on to accomplish her Career Grand Slam.
Sharapova battled injuries and sanctions before announcing her retirement from competitive tennis in 2020. But the Russian also has the distinction of never having broken a racket while participating in a court match.
After her retirement, Sharapova replied to a Tweet from a fan which suggested that the Russian has never broken a racket on the court. She agreed while acknowledging that she did break a few during practice sessions.
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