Where did this "Nadal has OCD" thing come from?

[TheFifthSet]

Honestly, all of a sudden it has gotten to be the main defense from Nadal apologists as to why he wastes time.

Personally, I don't buy it. For one thing, OCD isn't a walk in the park, and it can be a serious, debilitating disorder. I "had" it at one point (and I still have some symptoms, the main one being that I wash my hands frequently) and I know it isn't something to be taken lightly. I highly doubt that Rafael Nadal, an exquisitely trained and cared for athlete, could go all these years without his medical team or himself knowing he had it (as I cannot find any evidence that he claims to have it).
Beyond this, if he did have it he would have it treated immediatly, as it is a pretty big detriment. Even mild OCD can cause a noticable lack of concentration and anxiety. Also, it would be apparent in his everyday life as well, and there is no evidence that Nadal has similar rituals in everyday activities. Even if Nadal had a mild case of OCD, he would be at a pretty big disadvantage, and it would harm his mental wherewithal (ie, saying that Nadal uses his OCD to slow pace down on big points, thereby HELPING him, is a load of crap).
Also, it is a known fact that 85-90% of people occasionally have intrusive, tedious thoughts that they exhibit, but the differene is that those with OCD are distressed by these thoughts/rituals and wish to stop them but cannot. Nadal, on the other hand, seems to be completely fine with his rituals and does not wish to stop them, nor do they falter his game in any way. Though individual cases of OCD vary in severity, they almost always have a negative impact on the person that has it, and they in no way try to harness it (as Nadal supposedly does on big points).
I think it is far likelier that Nadal is merely a very superstitous person. It's not unusual; almost all tennis players (myself included, but then again I used to have OCD so maybe I'm not the best example LOL) have some sort of ritual that they follow for whatever reason, either because they feel it actually helps them play better or because they like to maintain a certain order/symmetry. It doesn't mean that all of us have OCD.
People need to accept that Nadal DOES exhibit un-sportsmanlike behaviour when he decides to go over the time limit constantly. It ain't OCD. It ain't any other form of psychosis. It's annoying, and it's completely in his hands to stop it, and it is a selfish habit. But, it's also only one facet of his identity as a champion athlete and ambassador of the game, so to me it doesn't make him a bad sportsman by any means IMO. It's just that his fans need to realize that it is a problem and not pin it on some non-existent disorder that Nadal has.

Rant over.

[CMM]

As long as he plays great, I don't care. Vamos Rafa!

[TheFifthSet]

Originally Posted by CMM

As long as he plays great, I don't care. Vamos Rafa!

That's good, as long as you don't use it as an excuse for Nadal's antics (although it's not as if they bother me to no end, they just irk me at times).

[Cantankersore]

OCD has just kind of become a word that people mean instead of superstitious, or mildly obsessed or whatever. I personally think that it's kind of stupid, but whatever. As for Nadal's time wasting, I have bigger problems in my life.

[malakas]

It came from some people being internet doctors and speculating about things they don't have the slightest idea about.

[mandy01]

You're absolutely correct.I havent bothered arguing with people who claim Nadal has OCD but having studied a bit of psychology I can tell you that your description is correct and not surprising seeing that you had it.
OCD dosent show up only in a match situation.It can be at any point during the day .
Personally ,I just think Nadal's time-wasting is gamesmanship and certainly an effective one.Its all about getting the psychological edge and he gets it.

[NickH87]

So what nadal does with his time affects you?

[djokovicgonzalez2010]

I honestly think he does, as does my mother, a doctor and (believe it or not) huge Nadal fan

[namelessone]

Originally Posted by TheFifthSet

Honestly, all of a sudden it has gotten to be the main defense from Nadal apologists as to why he wastes time.

Personally, I don't buy it. For one thing, OCD isn't a walk in the park, and it can be a serious, debilitating disorder. I "had" it at one point (and I still have some symptoms, the main one being that I wash my hands frequently) and I know it isn't something to be taken lightly. I highly doubt that Rafael Nadal, an exquisitely trained and cared for athlete, could go all these years without his medical team or himself knowing he had it (as I cannot find any evidence that he claims to have it).
Beyond this, if he did have it he would have it treated immediatly, as it is a pretty big detriment. Even mild OCD can cause a noticable lack of concentration and anxiety. Also, it would be apparent in his everyday life as well, and there is no evidence that Nadal has similar rituals in everyday activities. Even if Nadal had a mild case of OCD, he would be at a pretty big disadvantage, and it would harm his mental wherewithal (ie, saying that Nadal uses his OCD to slow pace down on big points, thereby HELPING him, is a load of crap).
Also, it is a known fact that 85-90% of people occasionally have intrusive, tedious thoughts that they exhibit, but the differene is that those with OCD are distressed by these thoughts/rituals and wish to stop them but cannot. Nadal, on the other hand, seems to be completely fine with his rituals and does not wish to stop them, nor do they falter his game in any way. Though individual cases of OCD vary in severity, they almost always have a negative impact on the person that has it, and they in no way try to harness it (as Nadal supposedly does on big points).
I think it is far likelier that Nadal is merely a very superstitous person. It's not unusual; almost all tennis players (myself included, but then again I used to have OCD so maybe I'm not the best example LOL) have some sort of ritual that they follow for whatever reason, either because they feel it actually helps them play better or because they like to maintain a certain order/symmetry. It doesn't mean that all of us have OCD.
People need to accept that Nadal DOES exhibit un-sportsmanlike behaviour when he decides to go over the time limit constantly. It ain't OCD. It ain't any other form of psychosis. It's annoying, and it's completely in his hands to stop it, and it is a selfish habit. But, it's also only one facet of his identity as a champion athlete and ambassador of the game, so to me it doesn't make him a bad sportsman by any means IMO. It's just that his fans need to realize that it is a problem and not pin it on some non-existent disorder that Nadal has.

Rant over.

This OCD thing started way back in 05',not now,and it wasn't started by Nadal fans,but by outside observers. But let's not go overboard,Nadal has a mild case of OCD,it would be seriously delusional to say it's anything bad,it would be disrespectful to those whose life is really affected by this condition.

It's one thing to be superstitious,almost all athletes have some superstition,like stepping with the right foot when you enter the field and so on but I've never seen anything like Nadal on a tennis court. Nadal's OCD manifests itself in the form of some rituals and ticks(compulsory behaviour) aimed to reduce anxiety(in a official match,he doesn't really do it in practice where he is more relaxed) and while he can control their speed,he still feels like he needs to do them,which qualifies as OCD,because he doesn't need to do them(and some of them are really embarrassing and give him no benefits-like buttpicking and water bottle arrangement).

Nadal's OCD has become a problem because these little rituals amount(there were fewer of them in 04' for example and he served faster,whereas 09' Nadal is the slowest I have ever seen) and so he takes more and more time because of the sheer amount which have added up(go get towel,towel off,go to the baseline,pick underwear,bounce ball,arrange hair,look up,bounce ball again,start serve motion). The only habit that Nadal lost was sock arrangement. One in 5 years on the big stage.

If this is all just a sham conjured up by Nadal,why choose buttpicking? It certainly isn't flattering. I can't seriously think that Nadal chooses to embarass himself with water bottle arrangement and buttpicking just to gain a few more seconds? When asked about this "habits" a couple of months ago he said he is trying to stop but that it is hard for him. This alone should point out the fact that it is a mild form of OCD,not just superstitions.

I'm sure it started out as superstitions but by now it is OCD,at least where I am concerned. Nadal played a brilliant point against seppi this clay season but celebrated shortly because he saw that his bottles fell down. He immediately put them back up and arranged them accordingly. Nadal was leading sod 6-1,5-0 in Rome but his first worry on the changeover wasn't to check out his racket or whatever but to re-arrange his bottles because he had just changed court. Did he really need luck to win one more game? By now it is compulsory behaviour for him. Not to mention the fact that he got mad when someone screwed with his bottles,not really normal behaviour if you ask me.

I seriously wonder how Nadal would play a match if they didn't allow him to pick his butt or arrange his water bottles.

BTW,this is just my opinion after watching Nadal since 04',it is not medical fact or anything so please don't flame me on that. And again,this OCD speculation didn't start from the Nadal fans camp,remember that.

[Xenakis]

Originally Posted by malakas

It came from some people being internet doctors and speculating about things they don't have the slightest idea about.

I'm diagnosing Malakas with delusions of grandeur. See her sig

[NamRanger]

Originally Posted by namelessone

I seriously wonder how Nadal would play a match if they didn't allow him to pick his butt or arrange his water bottles.

He does perfectly fine, if you didn't notice he pretty much stopped his trivial rituals after Pascal Maria gave him a time violation warning in the Wimbledon final in the 4th set TB. Sure he had a few small ones still, but nothing over the top like usual. And he performed perfectly fine, and still ended up winning.



It's not OCD. Please stop using that as a crutch or excuse. OCD would have a negative impact on Nadal's game, not the other way around.

[mandy01]

Originally Posted by Xenakis

I'm diagnosing Malakas with delusions of grandeur. See her sig

Delusions of grandeur indeed.

[namelessone]

Originally Posted by NamRanger

He does perfectly fine, if you didn't notice he pretty much stopped his trivial rituals after Pascal Maria gave him a time violation warning in the Wimbledon final in the 4th set TB. Sure he had a few small ones still, but nothing over the top like usual. And he performed perfectly fine, and still ended up winning.


It's not OCD. Please stop using that as a crutch or excuse. OCD would have a negative impact on Nadal's game, not the other way around.

So why does he pick his butt or defend his water bottles so vigurously? That isn't rational behaviour,he only does it to reduce anxiety as far as I can tell.And please don't tell me that his underwear bothers him or something like that. It can't happen on every point. Why CHOOSE to do something embarrassing? They showed it once on a big screen in a match and Nadal looked embarrassed yet he couldn't stop doing it. He even said that is it something he finds very hard to let go. It seems like more than a superstition to me.

[Anaconda]

I have OCD.

I count the stairs as i walk up them

I also count to 30 in my head in class. Whether it's because i am bored doing maths equations i don't know. Like my desk i sit at might be number 1, my pen might be number 2 etc.

[NamRanger]

Originally Posted by namelessone

So why does he pick his butt or defend his water bottles so vigurously? That isn't rational behaviour,he only does it to reduce anxiety as far as I can tell.And please don't tell me that his underwear bothers him or something like that. It can't happen on every point. Why CHOOSE to do something embarrassing? They showed it once on a big screen in a match and Nadal looked embarrassed yet he couldn't stop doing it. He even said that is it something he finds very hard to let go. It seems like more than a superstition to me.

Do you know how distracting and how detrimental OCD really is to your health? The behavior Nadal exhibits is superstition; not OCD.






"Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder defined combinations of such thoughts (obsessions) and behaviors (compulsions). The symptoms of this anxiety disorder range from repetitive hand-washing and extensive hoarding to preoccupation with sexual, religious, or aggressive impulses. These symptoms can be alienating and time-consuming, and often cause severe emotional and economic loss. Although the acts of those who have OCD may appear paranoid and come across to others as psychotic, OCD sufferers often recognize their thoughts and subsequent actions as irrational, and they may become further distressed by this realization."





Let me repeat to you; when Nadal receives a time violation warning HE STOPS HIS RITUALS OF TIME WASTING AT WILL. A person with OCD would simply be INCAPABLE of doing such a thing.

[Ledigs]

I do some stuff like this too but not physically just in my head. I think he has a mild form of OCD but I also think this type of personality is common in the top areas of any occupation. I know that there is anxiety and that it can be hard to focus but it also allows people to become interested in one activity for long periods of time. Nadal practices hitting over and over for the last 20 years. Most kids would not be able to do that. I think if he were medicated for it it might hinder his tennis too.

[Ledigs]

OCD is the fourth most common mental disorder and is diagnosed nearly as often as asthma and diabetes mellitus.[1] In the United States, one in 50 adults has OCD.[2] The phrase "obsessive–compulsive" has become part of the English lexicon, and is often used in an informal or caricatured manner to describe someone who is meticulous, perfectionistic, absorbed in a cause, or otherwise fixated on something or someone.[3] Although these signs may be present in OCD, a person who exhibits them does not necessarily have OCD, and may instead have obsessive–compulsive personality disorder (OCPD), an autism spectrum disorder or some other condition. The symptoms of OCD can range from difficulty with odd numbers to nervous habits such as opening a door and closing it four times before one leaves it either open or shut. (Wikipedia)

[Ledigs]

Originally Posted by NamRanger

Do you know how distracting and how detrimental OCD really is to your health? The behavior Nadal exhibits is superstition; not OCD.

I understand your point, but OCD is not exactly the same in every person, and it's possible to have compulsions without the obsessive or violent thoughts.

[NamRanger]

Originally Posted by Ledigs

I understand your point, but OCD is not exactly the same in every person, and it's possible to have compulsions without the obsessive or violent thoughts.

Yes but the thing is that Nadal breaks his rituals the moment he receives a time violation warning (or at least curbs them majorly). A person even with mild OCD would have a real hard time of doing such a thing.

[Ledigs]

Originally Posted by NamRanger

Yes but the thing is that Nadal breaks his rituals the moment he receives a time violation warning (or at least curbs them majorly). A person even with mild OCD would have a real hard time of doing such a thing.

Maybe, maybe not. It's different for everyone. He is playing in front of millions, on tv, FOR millions. Perhaps he can curb them in these circumstances. It also seems like he is a very obedient type of person, so that may override his rituals at least for a short period of time. If his Uncle Toni said STOP THAT! He's probably stop for awhile too.

I don't think his case is very serious, but I do think these are compulsions not on purpose.