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Flamboyance isn’t the most important thing that separates Rafael Nadal from other competitors.
When you watched the 2008 Wimbledon final, did you sense, as did so many observers, who the eventual winner would be simply by watching how Rafael carried himself, and the incredible sense of confidence he projected?
There may be only one Rafael Nadal, but competitors at all levels can learn a profound lesson from what Nadal projects on court. The lesson is how tough acting and tough thinking can translate into superlative competitive results.
Professional Acting
How does this work? I believe that successful competitors in tennis are really in the fullest sense professional actors and actresses. There’s really no difference between what a Julia Roberts or a Jack Nicholson or any really great actor in Hollywood is able to do and what great professional tennis players do. This is to summon emotions they need to perform deeply from within themselves. And Rafael Nadal is the ultimate example.
Can you tell which point Nadal won and which he lost?
It’s not just the flamboyant things Nadal does: jumping up and down during the coin toss, the zig zag sprint to baseline for the warm up, pumping his…