3 tennis players who have spoken against breaking rackets ft. Rafael Nadal
Tennis players wear their hearts on their sleeves and the competitive nature of the sport often gets the better of them. Recently, Carlos Alcaraz made the headlines as he smashed his racket for the first time in his career during his defeat against Gael Monfils at the Cincinnati Masters.
Over the years, many top stars have lost their cool while playing on the court. The likes of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Serena Williams have all broken rackets out of frustration. However, there are a few who have taken a stand against it.
Here is a list of three tennis players who have never broken a racket while competing on the court and voiced concern over the practice.
Tennis stars famous for speaking out against breaking rackets
#1 Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal is one of the greatest tennis players of all time and is seen as one of the idols for a young player to follow. The Spaniard has never broken a racket throughout his career, a record that no other top tennis star can match.
Even through difficult moments in his career, the Spanish superstar has always been in control of his emotions and never let out his frustration by breaking his racket on the court. Addressing this in 2020, he said (via Hola):
“My family wouldn’t have allowed me to break a racket. For me, to break a racket it would be to lose control of my emotions."
Nadal's long-term coach and uncle, Toni Nadal also weighed in on the matter. The Spanish coach said that he had developed this habit within Nadal since he was six years old and warned the young Spaniard that the day he broke his racket, he would no longer coach him. He said (via Tennis World):
“You throw one racket and I’m no longer your coach. There are millions of kids in the world who would love a racket and don’t have one. Nadal has never broken a racket."
During his professional career which has lasted over 20 years, Rafael Nadal has never broken a racket.
#2 Casper Ruud
Casper Ruud is another tennis star who has never broken his racket. The Norwegian is a big fan of Rafael Nadal and came up through the Rafa Nadal Academy. The former World No. 2 has said that he wants to go his full career without breaking a racket (via First Sportz):
“I will try to go my full career without breaking a racket. I can only name one player of the top 10 who has done that, and it’s Nadal. (Roger) Federer also has been exceptional, except one time in Miami when he broke his racket."
Ruud has so far succeed in his quest of not breaking a racket like Nadal. The 25-year-old is gaining popularity as one of the best players in the world.
#3 Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova is one of the most decorated women's tennis stars of all time. The Russian burst onto the scene with her Wimbledon title win as a 17-year-old and went on to complete her Career Grand Slam.
Sharapova announced her retirement from professional tennis in 2020 having struggled with injuries and suspensions. However, the Russian also holds the record of never breaking a racket while competing on the court.
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.