“It gave me extra motivation,” Iga Swiatek reveals how Rafael Nadal’s Australian Open triumph at start of the season pushed her towards excellence in the US Open

“It gave me extra motivation,” Iga Swiatek reveals how Rafael Nadal’s Australian Open triumph at start of the season pushed her towards excellence in the US Open

Iga Swiatek and Rafael Nadal

World No.1 Iga Swiatek played to near perfection in New York to win her third Major last week. Swiatek defeated Ons Jabeur in the final 6-2,7-6(7/5) to win the 2022 US Open. The Pole has been the most dominant player of the season and has won 7 titles this season, including two Grand Slam titles.

She currently sits comfortably at the top of the WTA rankings and leads the World No.2 by more than double points. Even if she doesn’t play any tournament for the next few months, she will still comfortably be at the top.

FS Video

In a recent interview with Vogue magazine after her US Open triumph, Swiatek talked about how she was inspired by her idol –Rafael Nadal. She spoke about her experience playing doubles with Nadal in one of the exhibition games during the North-American swing and called it a ‘pretty amazing’ experience.

“It was pretty amazing. We already played singles a couple of years ago at Roland Garros, which was a birthday gift from my team actually. [Laughs.] But it was pretty amazing being on the same side of the court playing doubles, and especially for such a great cause—being able to use our voices together to help people is pretty amazing. It was kind of a moment where I stopped for a little bit and thought about what a long journey it has been to get here, and getting to do that is really a dream come true,” Swiatek said.

YouTube video

Also Read: “I had the luck that Djokovic could not play” Carlos Alcaraz accepts that the absence of Novak Djokovic proved to be a boon in his US Open triumph

‘Rafa is such a great person on and off the court and he has inspired me so much’: Iga Swiatek

Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek during the exhibition match
Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek during the exhibition match

She further said that Nadal is such a great person both on and off the court. Swiatek also revealed how she was inspired by watching Rafa win the Australian Open earlier this year. She lauded his grit and felt grateful for being able to spend some time around the Spanish legend.

“Rafa is such a great person on and off the court and he has inspired me so much, especially this season when I watched his final at the Australian Open. It really gave me extra motivation and even more grit on court when I really needed that, so I’m grateful to have been able to spend some time around Rafa too,” she added.

Also Read: “If you don’t have the magic potion, it’s difficult to win,” Yannick Noah accused Rafael Nadal of doping for ‘miracle healing’

Also Read: “Federer, Federer, I screwed up,” Del Potro spotted filming at the US Open, bragging his win over Roger Federer