'I Don’t Scream,' Rafael Nadal Denies Allegations Involving His Locker Room Behavior

The World No. 2 Rafael Nadal, who is currently playing at the Paris Masters and is aiming to secure his first title at the hard-court tournament, denied allegations regarding his locker room behavior, saying he never intimidates his opponents there.

In a recent interview with Italian publication Corriere Della Sera, Nadal was asked if he wears the bandana and shouts 'Vamos' in the locker room to scare the opponents. To which, the 20-time Grand Slam champion replied, "I don’t scream in the locker room! I take an ice-cold shower, listen to music on my headphones, and, yes, I tie the bandana. But I’ve never allowed myself to intimidate an opponent."

Nadal’s friendly nature on and off the court was recently backed by Piotr Sierzputowski, the coach of reigning women's French Open champion Iga Swiatek. Sierzputowski had said that Nadal is a great, well-mannered guy and is never rude. The Polish coach had also revealed that Nadal plays board games with his team, sits with other players, and eats the same thing as everyone else.

Apart from this, Nadal is sometimes seen giving cold handshakes to his opponents following a loss.

In the same Corriere interview, Nadal was asked why he never appreciates his opponents’ shots.

"Sometimes I do. Seldom. But we’re not there to applaud. That’s up to the public," the Spaniard replied.

In September, Nadal claimed his record-equaling 20th Grand Slam after he thrashed Novak Djokovic in three sets at the French Open final. It was also Nadal’s 13th trophy at the Rolland Garros, a feat that would be next to impossible to be matched let alone broken by anyone in the future.

While there is a complete lockdown in France right now, the top-seeded Nadal is playing at the Paris Masters behind closed doors. With many strong contenders missing, including World No. 1 Djokovic, the 34-year-old Nadal is the favorite to win the tournament, which would be his first triumph in Paris Bercy.

Nadal went down 4-6 in the first set against his compatriot Feliciano Lopez in Paris Masters’ Round of 32 before the top-seeded secured the next two sets to seal the game. It was Nadal's 1,000th win Tour-Level victory. Nadal will next face Australia’s Jordan Thompson in the Round of 16 Thursday.