SUPERSTITIONS SPORTS STARS DEPEND ON
The weird rituals top athletes reckon help them to win
AS ANDY Murray began what might be his last Wimbledon, the former champ would be relying on his before and after-match rituals to help him on his way.
Like many top-flight athletes, Murray has a superstitious belief in getting the key details right. For the Dunblane superstar, this means always having a shower in the same cubicle. Even if he has to wait outside for someone else to finish.
He admits this is “a bit weird”.
John Mathers, head of sports psychology at Stirling University, said many elite athletes have their own “idiosyncrasies”.
He added: “For some, these are really important. For others, less so. You can have a boxer, a snooker player or a rally driver who has rituals that make them feel really comfortable and ready to compete. Others in the same sport, less so.”
The point of these rituals, he said, is to “normalise the setting” of a major competition.
“The sport never changes – the movement of object A to point B is the same every day. But the context is different. For a footballer taking a penalty in front of a crowd of 50,000, the task is the same as it is in practice.
“That’s where a pre-performance routine can help to remove the debilitating detail. It creates comforts and anchors so that they are ready to perform.”
We took a look a sport stars’ rituals.
TENNIS
Murray is not the only player bringing their own personal juju to SW19.
Bjorn Borg always refused to shave during Wimbledon – and sported a beard when he picked up the men’s trophy five times in a row.
He also watched war movie Where Eagles Dare the night before big matches. Rafael Nadal has to have his water bottle and energy drink placed in exactly the same position at the side of the court before playing. Reigning champion Novak Djokovic claims he’s not superstitious – but eats some grass from the Centre Court after he wins the trophy. He also brings his two pet poodles, Pierre and Tesla, to the tournament. It’s not just a guy thing. Serena Williams, who has won Wimbledon seven times, does not change her socks throughout a tournament. She also brings her shower sandals to the court. And after the first game, she crosses the net from the opposite side of the umpire chair.
When she lost to Justine Henin in the quarter-finals of the French Open in 2007, she blamed her failure to follow her regular routine.
GOLF
Tiger Woods wears a red shirt when he reaches the final round of a tournament. ATHLETICS Four hundred metre runner Iwan
Thomas put his left leg through his pants first, then his left shoe on before the right. He took his shoes off in the same order. He always trained in lane two. Scots 800m star Guy Learmonth only ever runs in odd socks. He would rather compete in bare feet than wear a matching pair.
RUGBY
English rugby union star Lewis Ludlum takes a knitted dog to all his games. For back-up, he also carries a four-leaf clover.
CRICKET
Australian test cricketer Steve Waugh’s lucky red rag was visible hanging out of his trouser pocket in the Ashes in the 90s. It was a square of fabric cut from a towel and he kept it with him for more than a decade.
FOOTBALL
During their blazing 2015 season, Chelsea had a lucky urinal. At first it was just John Terry and Frank Lampard who had to use this one special spot. Then other members of the team cottoned on. At one point, there were complaints that the team were late on to the pitch because they were all queuing to use the right urinal. Johan Cruyff slapped the Ajax goalkeeper Gert Bals in the stomach before kickoff. He then marched towards the opposition half and spat his chewing gum on to their side of the pitch. When he couldn’t do this at the 1969 European Cup final against AC Milan, because he forgot his gum, Ajax lost 4-1. In the 1998 World Cup, France’s Laurent Blanc kissed goalie Fabien Barthez’s head before each match. In 2018, the French team stroked Adil Rami’s moustache and beard. They won both tournaments.