“I Was Just Watching Rafa”: Iga Swiatek Talks About Watching Rafael Nadal to Improve Her Game

Almost everyone in the world admires Rafael Nadal as a tennis player. The Spaniard has established himself as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. Rafa has won 20 Grand Slam titles so far, including a record 13 French Open Title which is an incredible feat. Many players look up to Nadal as an idol, both men and women tennis players. 

The 20-year-old Polish player, Iga Swiatek, is one of them who studies Nadal and his every match. The Polish player has already achieved so much at the age of 20 when she won the French Open in 2020, which is also Nadal’s favorite Grand Slam. It’s not a huge surprise that she studies Nadal’s game as she spoke about it in a recent interview. 

Iga Swiatek talks about studying Rafael Nadal

Iga Swiatek is one of the young talented players in the women’s game who has already won one Grand Slam but has the ability to win more. In a recent interview, the Polish player said she is evolving her game by watching more games on TV when it’s on. Particularly, she likes watching Rafa more often than not to improve her game. 

The French Open winner said, “I was just watching Rafa basically, yeah, as usual.”

Previously, in 2021, Swiatek practiced with Rafael Nadal at the French Open. According to her, the practice session was really fun, and she learned a lot. “Rafa is really, really great. He’s a really nice guy. Even though I am pretty introverted, it was really fun for me,” the Polish player stated during the 2021 French Open tournament.

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“It’s really nice to see such a champion being normal off-court… He’s the guy that everybody can take something for themselves,” she further added. [h/t tennisworldusa.org]

Both Swiatek and Nadal are in the third round of the Australian Open

Iga Swiatek is currently playing as the number 7 seed in the Australian Open and she will face the 25th seed Daria Kasatkina of Russia in the third round. In the second-round match, Swiatek beat Rebecca Peterson pretty easily by 6-2, 6-2. 

Meanwhile, 20-time Grand Slam champion, Rafael Nadal will face the big-serving Russian Karen Khachanov in the third round. It will be a tough match for Nadal; if he beats the Russian, the Spaniard will get an inch closer to achieving his 21st Grand Slam title. 

Can both of them win the Australian Open? Let us know in the comments.

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