Iga Swiatek sees no issue in fans wanting her sweaty towel as a souvenir, as the Polish tennis star admits that if she were a kid and had a chance to get it from her idol Rafael Nadal, she would have absolutely loved it.
On Monday, the six-time Grand Slam champion was all business and easily handled Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3 6-1 in the US Open round-of-16. As it is usually the case, a bunch of fans - especially kids - wanted something from the former world No. 1. And the 24-year-old makes sure her fans always get something.
After arriving in the press room, one reporter directly asked Swiatek if she found it "strange" that some people wanted her "sweaty towel."
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"Do you think that it's strange that, like, people want your sweaty towel, whatever...?" the question read.
Swiatek: No... As a kid, I would have loved a sweaty Nadal towel
No, because I would love to have a sweaty towel of Rafa's when I was a kid... So, no. Well, sometimes it's strange when I try to give something to the kid and the adult grabs it... Then I try to be like, 'Come on, that's not the point...'
Over the past couple of years, Swiatek spoke numerous times about idolizing Nadal as a little girl. In 2022 January - when the Pole was already a Grand Slam champion - she was caught following Nadal's Australian Open final comeback against Daniil Medvedev and jumping in the stands as it was happening.
Meanwhile, Swiatek plays against Amanda Anisimova for a place in the US Open semifinal.
