Rafa Juice and the Fed Baguette

I took the liberty to write two posts relating Federer and Nadal to food-related items. Don’t ask me why, but I think there was a point somewhere there. I’ve always been fascinated by these two players and their rivalry and I wrote my own little piece about this a while ago called Battle of the Legends. It would be great if we could see them in at least one other Grand Slam final and why not already at Roland Garros?

Anyway, I’m equally impressed by both players but in very different ways. Rafa for his mindset and his dedication and brute physicality and Federer for his elegance, his masterful technique and his class, both on and off the court.

Nadal’s fighting attitude I like the characterize much like an energy drink, Rafa Juice!

RAFA JUICE

Have you ever been in a tennis match and you’re playing brilliantly for three-four games and then suddenly you lose focus and start to throw away points like they were candy wrappers? I have. Did you feel have difficult it was to get back to the right mindset? That feeling is so disappointing it’s disgusting. There are no simple remedies for this, everybody gets into a slump from time to time, but you can change your mindset to make it easier to get back that important match-winning focus.

How do you do that? Just buy my secret focus potion consisting of Rafael Nadal’s blood, sweat and tears called Rafa Juice!

Act now and get a “30-day Your-Dignity-Back-Guarantee!”. If you don’t like the drink and don’t feel you’ve gained focus and intensity, just send an e-mail to rafajuice@rafabull.com and we’ll reimburse you the whole price of $169.99! This is an offer you can’t miss out on!

Ok, enough of that. I don’t have Rafa’s blood, sweat and tears on a bottle. And if I did, I’d probably be behind bars fairly soon.

And you’t need Nadal’s juices to adapt his mindset. Instead you need a list:

1. Never ever give up. You can turn around 6-0 5-0 into a victory. This is tennis, not football and has the most interesting scoring system known to man.

2. Give yourself a little bit of VAMOS when you win a good point. Don’t complain about the way you play. Focus on the positives! That’s how Rafa gets his fist-pumping energy.

3. Play each point competitively. Don’t waste any points by not giving it your best. That’s the only way to get back into focus. Don’t tank!

4. If you lose yourself completely and start handing your opponent the match on a silver platter, take a little break. Sit down under a towel Soderling-style, go for a quick toilet break, take some extra deep breaths. It’s important you get a moment for yourself to get back your focus and possibly get your opponent a bit off his. Nadal has hundreds of routines to remind him to focus, focus, focus. Bounce ball x times, move hair behind ear, pull nose, pull pants, step up and down with feet, adjust water bottles etc (yes, he has OCD, but some of these manoeuvres really help him quiet his mind).

5. Come prepared to do battle. Make sure you have enough water, maybe a banana, and that you haven’t eaten a big meal to close to the match. Try to feel your best or close to it.

6. Losing is not a big deal, but losing while not giving your best is a big deal. You’ll always feel better afterwards (even if you lose!) knowing that you gave it your best shot.

Good luck adapting to the Rafa mindset. Drink that Rafa Juice!

THE FED BAGUETTE

So what on earth is the Fed Baguette? Federer winning a set 6-1? (He’s tired of handing out bagels?). Yes, maybe. Or maybe it’s just a baguette with the following ingredients?:

Caviar – of course. CLASS.
Truffles – of course (plenty). LUXURY.
Oysters – of course. STYLE.
Gold leaf – of course. MASTERFUL.

The Fed Baguette is best enjoyed with a glass of Moet (or a bottle, because it doesn’t taste so good with those ingredients mixed together) or if you don’t like champagne a cup of Jura espresso and a Lindt chocolate.