On October 10, the ‘King of Clay’ announced that he would hang up his racquet following the Davis Cup. After hearing this emotional announcement, Iga Swiatek, the ‘Queen of Clay’, shared an emotional post on her tennis idol. “You (Rafa) were and still are the biggest inspiration that I ever had in tennis. The reason why sometimes I got extra motivated and kept pushing myself.” Both Swiatek and Nadal are currently in Malaga. The Polish star is representing her nation at the BJK Cup Finals while Nadal is taking part in the Davis Cup. Amid all this, Swiatek, in an interview, recalled some of her fond memories with Nadal. One at the 2021 Roland Garros.

Talking about her specific memory or moment with Rafael Nadal to the Tennis Channel, Iga Swiatek said, “I remember we practiced in Roland Garros once. That was actually like a gift for my birthday. So we hit for like 15 minutes and I realized that he’s really down to earth and humble. That was the first time I talked to him, so it was special.” She further reflected on his SF loss to Novak Djokovic at the 2021 French Open, Nadal’s quest for the 14th title at the tournament.

“Then I remember in 2021 he lost the semi-finals against Novak [Djokovic] and I saw him, because we were all staying at the same hotel because of the COVID. I saw him somewhere in the hotel and I told him that I even cried when he lost. He was so calm, and he said, ‘That’s just tennis and life goes on and there are gonna be different goals in the future.’” While Nadal lost to the Serb 6-3,3-6,6 (4)-7,2-6, Swiatek was left impressed by Nadal’s composure. As she explained, 

“So I was like, ‘Wow, this person really knows how to deal with losing, even your favorite tournament.’ I realized that off the court you also need to learn on how to deal with stuff to be a better player on the court,” said Swiatek. A year later, Nadal defeated Casper Ruud in the finals and won the tournament. It was his record-extending 14th and final French Open title and record-extending 22nd and final major title overall. It marked the first time in his career that he won the Australian Open and the French Open in the same calendar year. 

What other lessons has she learned from her tennis idol, though? Well, during this year’s French Open, Swiatek heaped praise on the Spaniard. She lauded his on-court mentality of never giving up and how he has taught him to always fight till the end. Now, since Rafael Nadal has already announced an end to his 23-year-old illustrious career, how does Swiatek see tennis post-Nadal era?

In a press conference at BJK Cup Finals, she claimed, “Yeah, we actually met, I don’t know, like, five minutes before my match. So I wasn’t really in my talking mode. But it’s always nice to see Rafa. Honestly, he was the only player I watched, so I don’t know if I’m going to watch tennis at all now.” For the record, Rafael Nadal won 22 Grand Slam titles in his career and the 23-year-old Polish superstar has already clinched five major singles titles. Is the ‘Queen of Clay’ following the footsteps of the ‘King of Clay’?

Tennis expert claims Iga Swiatek is becoming the women’s version of Rafael Nadal on clay

Earlier this year, during an interview, Aussie tennis legend Todd Woodbridge claimed, “Iga is becoming the women’s version of Rafa on a clay court.” Well, their dominance on the clay court is quite well known, however apart from that, both these tennis stars are soft spoken and humble. Rafael Nadal struggled to win the titles at the Wimbledon and the AO in the early phases of his career. Even Iga Swiatek is yet to win a title in London or in Melbourne. 

Even the American tennis legend, Andy Roddick, once stated, “We’re talking about Rafa being so modest… she’s (Iga) in the same ‘Team Self-Effacement’. This is a generational talent.” Talking on the same lines, although Iga once claimed that she loves emulating Nadal’s style of play, still she doesn’t want to be named in the same bracket as him. “Being compared to him, I’m not at that level yet, I still have many things to improve,” Swiatek said in a previous interview. Has Rafael Nafal ever showered any praise on Iga Swiatek before? Well, yes, he did twice in 2022!

While reflecting on his thoughts on sharing the court (Tennis Plays for Peace) with Iga Swiatek, Rafa even claimed, “It was great. Iga (Swiatek), I think, is a huge inspiration for everyone, even for me [with] the way that she is very natural, very humble. It has been a pleasure to have her next to me on the court. We had some fun and [it was] for a very good cause, so happy to enjoy that moment.” Swiatek’s dominance on clay courts keeps on drawing us towards this comparison. She won the French Open title in 2024. Do you think she can repeat the same in 2025 and take her tally to a 5th clay title?