“That was actually a gift for my birthday” – Iga Swiatek discloses her impression of Rafael Nadal after meeting him for the first time
Iga Swiatek recently talked about her impression of Rafael Nadal after meeting him for the first time. She revealed that she had the opportunity to meet the Spanish tennis legend for the first time on her birthday.
Both Swiatek and Nadal are currently in Malaga, Spain, representing their countries at the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Finals and the Davis Cup Finals, respectively.
While Swiatek has already started her campaign at the tournament, helping Poland secure a spot in the semifinals for the first time by defeating Spain and the Czech Republic, the Spaniard is yet to begin his journey at the Davis Cup Finals.
Recently, while speaking to Tennis Channel, Iga Swiatek recalled her first meeting with Rafael Nadal. She mentioned that it was her birthday and they spent 15 minutes hitting on the court at Roland Garros. She stated that after their meeting, she realized that the Spaniard was very “humble” and “down-to-earth.”
“So 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 realised that he’s really down to earth and humble. That was the first time I talked to him so it was special,” Swiatek said.
Swiatek also recalled a conversation she had with Nadal after his loss to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the 2021 French Open. She said that the 38-year-old had shared that winning and losing are part of tennis and that it was important to move forward in life regardless of the outcome.
