French Open: Despite Being Rafael Nadal Fan Girl, Iga Swiatek Goes Against Radical Seeding Idea to Her Idol

The tennis world is abuzz with Rafael Nadal’s , ranked 276th in the world, not getting seeded in the French Open, a place where he has won 14 times! This has created a division of opinions among different players, fans, and sports enthusiasts alike. The current WTA World No. 1, Iga Swiatek, most recently weighed in on Nadal’s unseeded French Open spot. She addressed the chaotic situation that might arise in case he gets seeded.

The three-time French Open winner, Iga Swiatek, is all excited and “nervous” to embark on her journey in Paris, this season. Before that, she appeared in a press conference, a clip of which the Tennis Actu TV channel released on YouTube. During her interview, one of the reporters asked her about the current situation of Rafael Nadal being unseeded and his draw match against Alexander Zverev. The journalist further presented a hypothetical scenario in front of Iga: ATP and WTA, in general, seeding past champions who have fallen from their ranks.

Swiatek, who has been idolizing Nadal since she was a kid, explored the reasons why she thinks seeding a past champion will not be a wise decision. “No, I think it could create a huge mess in the draws. For example, in the women’s draw you have so many past Grand Slam champions…You know one of them would be seeded one of them not. Because they won Wimbledon, not Roland Garros or Australian Open not Roland Garros,” the 22-year-old Polish star explained.

According to her, not being among the top 32 players in the world (which is the criteria for being seeded) is an indication of a player’s current ability to perform in tournaments. And if a player is not there as of now, their previous titles should not play a role in getting an advantage in their next tournament. “So, I don’t think it’s a good idea. It’s better to keep it that way. Especially because you get seeded because of your past results. I mean you know few months before so um it actually is showing your place in the rankings,” Swiatek concluded her thoughts.

Iga Swiatek’s unwavering support for Nadal is a testament to her love and admiration for the former World No. 1. She has always been vocal about how she respects Nadal for his behavior and sportsmanship. When it comes to supporting him in his difficult times regarding his injuries, Swiatek has taken his side. She previously requested the fans not to put so much pressure on him to perform according to unrealistic expectations, given his physical limitations.

But when it comes to work ethics, which she has also learned from Nadal growing up, Swiatek remains firm in her belief of abiding by the rules. Therefore, Swiatek doesn’t want a player to get special treatment due to his past achievements at Roland Garros. However, unsurprisingly, she is still eager to cheer the ‘King of Clay’ on in his first match against Zverev.

Swiatek backs Nadal in tough Roland Garros opener through a “fan’s perspective”

Iga Swiatek has picked her favorite for the first-round match between Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev. She will be “rooting” for her idol, despite knowing that it is indeed going to be a tough match for him. And she will do so not as a player herself but as a fan of him. “He’s a great player but I don’t know you know if he’s going to be rusty or not. It’s your first round so you never know Rafa as well. I don’t know. I’m not an expert. we’ll see. I’m going to watch it more from a fan perspective than you know um to analyze.”

She further added, “So I just hope it’s going to be entertaining and for sure it’s a tough draw for Rafa.” However, she further apologized to Zverev, saying “Sorry, Alex”, as her loyalty stands with Rafael Nadal when it comes to supporting him on-court. After all, her emotions for Nadal, especially during his probably last tournament on- tour, are hard to control. It was only a few weeks ago when Iga Swiatek admitted to crying after watching Nadal’s last performance in Madrid. Therefore, although she might not support the seeding situation, her love and support for Rafa remains stronger than ever.