Most Superstitious Athletes Today – Unbelievable Recipes For Winning

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who are the most superstitious athletes of them all? Everyone has different superstitious habits that we cling to before a major challenge. It’s no different for athletes, who wouldn’t miss their usual rituals before big tournaments. Sometimes, habits and superstitions blur together, but some people take it very seriously in sports. What kind of fixations can professionals have? Let’s see the most superstitious athletes today!

How do Superstitions work?

Many believe strongly in the efficacy of their personal rituals and predictions but are reluctant to admit this to those who mock them for those. Others are aware of the futility of their actions, laugh at the whole thing, yet stubbornly carry out the steps. Most people probably fall between these two types of behavior, even athletes. The superstitions are closely connected with the pre-competition routines. 

Their function is nothing other than to give security, appease the athletes, and help them get in the right mental state. Especially, if those routines have worked before. Giving too much credit to superstitions can also cause problems. If the habit itself becomes a desperate or an anxious act, it might do more harm than good, but even sports psychologists tend to support these habits to a certain extent. However, these superstitions mean something to the athlete. 

Copying the routine itself without meaning to the competitor is worthless. Of course, these personal superstitions work only for their inventors. Therefore, if you want to adopt these habits from them, do not be surprised if the expected results do not automatically come true. As a tennis player, copying Nadal’s routines may not have the same effect unless you associate a certain feeling with it. We don’t know about every habit of the most superstitious athletes today, but some are pretty funny!

Serena Williams and Her Slippers

Even though the current statistics and rankings do not reflect this, Serena Williams is one of the best tennis players. She is also considered one of the most formidable opponents due to her aggressive game and believes in routines the most. Among other things, she always brings her shower slippers to the tennis court. She always ties her shoelaces in a particular way. 

Serena bounces the ball five times before the first serve and twice before the second serve every time. She always wears the same pair of socks during each tournament. Serena Williams believes that certain routines and movements help her win, and she must be right because she is a tennis legend! Sports betting and gambling have always involved popular superstitions and lucky charms!

Most Superstitious Athletes Today

Of course, it’s not just the average folks who turn to certain superstitions for good luck, but even the biggest in the sports world like to apply their personal beliefs. Athletes use this for the same purpose: they try to make an uncontrollable situation controllable, thereby creating a much more comfortable atmosphere. Perhaps many of you would not think so, but the greatest player in the history of the NBA, Michael Jordan, also had his own superstitions. 

The six-time champion and six-time MVP basketball player wore special pants under his uniform. He put on the University of North Carolina colors because he scored the game-winning point in the 1982 college championship final in them. This is precisely why he started wearing longer jerseys in the NBA, creating a new fashion trend and becoming one of the most superstitious athletes. 

Most Superstitious Athletes Today

Rafael Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam-winning tennis player, has many habits and superstitions on and off the tennis court. In his case, it would throw him off balance if he didn’t repeat them every time. Among other things, he starts toward the tennis court with his right foot, holding his racket in his left hand. He needs to have one bottle of energy drink and one bottle of water by his bench, placed on the ground to his left, with their labels facing the tennis court, one behind the other.

His racket bag must always be nearby, but a towel must be under it. He never steps on the lines and only passes over them with his right foot. When they have to switch sides, his opponent always has to go first, and the same happens when they have to stand up from the bench. Nadal’s pre-serve includes adjusting his pants, then the T-shirt on his shoulders, smoothing his hair behind his ears, and pulling his nose. Isn’t he one of the most superstitious athletes today? 

Habits are the Key to Victory?

Our next example also comes from the tennis world. The superstition of a former world number one Swedish tennis legend, Björn Borg, was connected to a single tournament, Wimbledon. The tennis player nicknamed Iceman due to his steely confidence on the court always grew a beard for Wimbledon and wore the same Fila T-shirt. He did something right because he could stand on the top of the podium in this tournament for five years in a row, between 1976 and 1980.

Michael Schumacher was only willing to get into his car from the left, and he always carried an amulet he got from his wife. The seven-time world champion also believed in numerology and always insisted on odd numbers. When the mechanics had to repair something in his car, he ran to his trailer, full of weightlifting equipment, to work out.

Most Superstitious Athletes Today

Fernando Alonso joined the superstitious athletes’ club last year. According to him, he had no significant superstitions, but it has changed. F1 pilots have the opportunity to walk around the racetrack before the free practice, but not all of them take it. Alonso was one of those competitors, but since the Portuguese Grand Prix was new to him, he went on the walk and hasn’t regretted it since. 

That was the best weekend in that season so far. The team won points and achieved good results. Then they stopped doing it in the next two races and didn’t win anything. After that, they gave another shot to the walk in Baku, and Alonso became the sixth, one of his best results. So, he has made a habit of it and became one of the most superstitious athletes today.  

Hockey Players are a Superstitious Lot

Patrick Roy, the former ice hockey goalie, now a coach, had quite a few superstitions during his active career. He did not make statements or give interviews before matches, which made it very difficult at the beginning of his coaching career since he had to give up this habit. He never skated over the lines in the rink but stepped over them, talked to the goal post, thanked the object if the puck didn’t end up in the net, and there were a few other weird things. 

Odd hockey habits include Wayne Gretzky, who used baby powder on his hockey stick, while Bruce Gardiner liked it a little bit dirty, so he dunked it in the toilet before a game. Superstitions related to body hair are also common. Think about Samson, who had power in his hair. Beards or mustaches grown during the playoffs are prime examples.

 Not only the players but also the fans actively practice this habit. Another hockey tradition is the playoff beards. The teams do not shave until they lose or win the Stanley Cup. It has two purposes. For one, it brings together the players. For two, looking in the mirror before the competition serves as a reminder of the challenge ahead of them.

The Most Superstitious Athletes Today

Curtis Martin, the New York Jets player, reads the Book of Psalms from the Bible before every game. Kolo Touré, the Leicester City FC player, likes to be the last to step on the field. At one time, he almost missed the start of the second half of a UEFA Champions League match against AS Roma because of this. Melissa Tancredi, a Canadian soccer player, always makes sure to put on her left shin guard and shoe first.

 Milos Raonic, a tennis player, would never step foot on the court without a stuffed animal he got from his sister. Taylor Ruck, the Canadian swimmer, swears by eating ham and eggs for breakfast before a competition, while Jasmine Glaesser, a cyclist, thinks that cereal is the breakfast of champions. 

The famous badminton player, Lee Yong-Dae, wears a T-shirt as a lucky charm, but, probably, Luke Patience wins the most superstitious athlete today title. He is a British Olympic sailor who smells and tastes the water the night before the competition. Check out whether their rituals are working or not at online gambling sites in Canada!

Who is the Most Superstitious of Them All?

UFC Brazilian welterweight world champion Lyoto Machida makes it a daily routine to drink his urine every morning. He believes that his urine has a healing effect and cleanses his body. However, he is not the only one who believes in the miraculous power of urine. A former football player, Barry Fry, has peed on all four corner flags of the field to break a curse on Birmingham City’s football team.

There are many superstitions in NASCAR as well. There are no green cars, and drivers are not allowed to carry $50 bills because they bring bad luck, but peanuts are also forbidden. Only peanuts themselves, and the products containing peanuts are allowed. This is due to an accident in 1937 where a racer died. A peanut shell was found at the scene of the accident, next to the pilot. The stories are rather interesting, so check them out at 888sport!

Ronaldo and His Rituals

After matches, Cristiano Ronaldo never goes out for dinner or drinks with his friends or family. That’s when his extra training begins. Starting with eating and drinking something in the stadium to replace the lost energy. Then Ronaldo eats fruit, a slice of pizza, and snacks rich in carbohydrates. If he can, he immediately returns home, where he takes a hot and ice-cold bath. According to medical journals, this is the best method for the body to regenerate after a more demanding exercise.

Click here to stay tuned with 888sport

First, he enters a tub full of 38-44 degrees °C water, where he stays for 5 minutes, then spends another three minutes in cold water. He continues this for half an hour. The method has a good effect on blood circulation, and it also has an anti-inflammatory effect on possible bruises. Then he swims for twenty minutes. Besides football, swimming is one of his favorite sports, which he practices daily.

After that, he showers with high-pressure water to further stimulate blood circulation. The soccer star sleeps eight hours of sleep, but like everyone else, he also has difficulty falling asleep after matches. In such cases, he takes a five-minute Turkish bath, as the steam has a calming effect on the nervous system, helping Cristiano to get into a completely relaxed state. It’s more of a habit than anything else, but he takes these rituals very seriously. It must work because he is the best soccer player today, according to 888sport!