Rafael Nadal: Iga Swiatek reveals moment her “idol” hugely inspired her

Like many others around the world, Iga Świątek views Rafael Nadal as her tennis idol.Of course, it’s almost impossible not to be inspired by the legendary Spaniard, who is unarguably one of the best athletes on the planet.

As well as his overall impressive career, Świątek has highlighted one specific moment where Nadal particularly inspired her. What did Iga Swiatek say about Rafa Nadal?

The WTA world number one reflected on Nadal’s stunning Australian Open final performance at the start of the year, where he produced a remarkable comeback to win his 21st Grand Slam title.The 36-year-old was down by two sets against Daniil Medvedev, who looked as though he was on track to win the Melbourne tournament for the first time.

After trailing 2–6, 6–7, Nadal hit back and won three sets on the bounce to produce a titanic comeback.

His triumph inspired him to go on and win his 14th French Open title and 22nd major overall later in the year.MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 30: Rafael Nadal of Spain kisses the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup as he celebrates victory in his Men’s Singles Final match against Daniil Medvedev of Russia during day fourteen of the 2022 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 30, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

“Rafa is my idol, I feel like I’ve learnt a lot [from him],” Świątek told Life & Leisure. “I was lucky to watch his final of the Australian Open this year and the way he [came] back, when I thought it was going to be impossible, [was] pretty amazing.” What did Iga Świątek win in 2022?

Similar to Nadal, Świątek also won two Grand Slam titles in 2022 among what has been the most successful 12 months of her tennis career so far.After becoming the new world number one following Ash Barty’s retirement, the Polish star went on a history-making run of winning form.EW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 07: Iga Swiatek of Poland celebrates after defeating Jessica Pegula of the United States during their Women’s Singles Quarterfinal match on Day Ten of the 2022 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 07, 2022 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Świątek’s first win of the year came at the Qatar Open in February. This sparked an astonishing run of six consecutive tournament wins and 37 matches unbeaten — a new record on the WTA Tour in the 21st century.

Among this stunning streak, Świątek won the French Open for the second time, joining Nadal as the singles champions for 2022. She also became just the fourth woman to win the Sunshine Double — back-to-back titles at Indian Wells and the Miami Open.

The 21-year-old’s unbeaten run ended at Wimbledon but she soon bounced back to winning ways by claiming her first ever US Open title.