Iga Swiatek admits she misses Rafael Nadal and sometimes finds herself "randomly" watching the Spanish tennis icon's old match highlights.
From the moment Swiatek arrived on the Tour and became a French Open champion at the age of 19 in 2020, she very openly spoke about idolizing Nadal throughout her childhood but also her junior career. If you can recall, the Polish tennis star went viral during the 2022 Australian Open final when she was caught on camera jumping during the Spaniard's improbable comeback versus Daniil Medvedev.
After picking up a serious injury at the start of 2023 and missing the rest of the year, Nadal came back at the start of the 2024 season. But the former 22-time Grand Slam champion never looked the same and appeared in a limited number of tournaments before retiring after last year's Davis Cup Final 8.
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Swiatek: I've been randomly watching some of Nadal's old videos
"Honestly, I really miss Rafa. I've been watching some video randomly. I'm like, I wish I could see this live again. Glad I just had a chance to play tennis maybe at the same time as him, so I could experience it and find some inspiration. For sure, he inspired me the most from all the people in the world, yeah," Swiatek admitted at the WTA Finals in Riyadh.
Nadal may be retired but Swiatek hasn't forgotten how her idol used to play and fight.
"What I took from Rafa is the way he never gave up. I could actually see it on some matches. I have some flashes in my head where I'm, Well, there's no chance I'm going to win this match, there's no chance I can improve and change the momentum. I actually saw him doing that sometimes. It gives me belief in myself a little bit more," the WTA world No. 2 explained.
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Swiatek meets Madison Keys in her opening WTA Finals match.
