“Casually Showing His Quads”: Iga Swiatek Reveals Spending Time With Rafael Nadal Before Italian Open Finals

Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek, who stunned everyone by winning the French Open title last year, is continuing her great run on the WTA tour in 2021 as well. She won the Adelaide International title earlier this year, and also clinched the Italian Open crown by dismantling Karolina Pliskova 6-0,6-0 in the finals.

Swiatek had mentioned in several interviews that Rafael Nadal is her idol growing up. Coincidentally, the Spaniard won the Italian Open on the men’s side after a hard-fought battle against arch-rival Novak Djokovic.

Also read: Iga Swiatek Shares Image With Naomi Osaka’s Cutout, the Japanese Star Responds

Iga Swiatek posts a picture with Rafael Nadal before Italian Open finals

Surprisingly, both Swiatek and Nadal saved two match points in their third-round matches in Rome. While Nadal battled past Denis Shapovalov, the Polish player had a tough meeting against Barbora Krejcikova in the pre-quarters.

With the Italian Open crown, Swiatek moves into the top-10 rankings for the first time in her career. Known for her aggressive baseline game, the defending French Open champion has always used this trait to her advantage despite the surface.

Even though this aggressive approach made her lose crucial matches, it provides a lot of entertainment for fans to see a high-percentage risky tennis on display.

Just before the men’s singles Italian Open final yesterday, Swiatek got the chance to take a picture alongside her idol, Rafael Nadal. After Nadal got the victory, the Polish player posted the same on twitter and wrote, “This is me and Rafa just casually showing his quads… Just kidding. You’re so kind, Rafael Nadal thank you for taking the time before the match”. 

The young Polish player actively gives updates to her fans on social media, and is known to be quirky and funny with her comments. She also maintains nice camaraderie with fellow players Naomi Osaka and Ash Barty.

By winning the Rome Masters, Swiatek has earned the right to be called one of the top contenders for the French Open this year. As Barty and Halep raised injury concerns, the Polish player has a firm chance of defending her title.

However, she will have to face pure clay-courters like Jelena Ostapenko, Aryna Sabalenka, Elina Svitolina, etc., to have yet another dream run in Roland Garros.

Also read: Will Iga Swiatek Make Her Top 10 Debut With Italian Open 2021 Triumph?