"14 Roland Garros titles in the house" - Rafael Nadal catches up with Iga Swiatek ahead of Indian Wells 2022
Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek have 14 Roland Garros titles between them, 13 for the former and one for the latter. They even managed to win the 2020 French Open together, with the Spaniard downing Novak Djokovic in the final to win a record-equalling 20th Major and Swiatek disposing of Sofia Kenin to win her maiden Grand Slam.
The two have become good friends in recent times, a dream come true for the Pole seeing as she considers the 21-time Grand Slam champion her idol. Nadal and Swiatek once again affirmed their friendship, this time with a casual chat ahead of the 2022 Indian Wells Open.
On his way out after a photoshoot for the tournament promotions, the Mallorcan noticed that the World No. 4 was waiting for her turn in front of the cameras. He walked over to catch up with Swiatek, asking her how she was doing and wishing her all the best in the WTA 1000 event.
"Good to see you! Good luck here. See you around!" he said.
ETERNAL 
🗓️ 2004: Rafa Nadal becomes the youngest tennis player to win in Acapulco
🗓️ 2022: Rafa Nadal becomes the oldest tennis player to win in Acapulco
👑 ETERNAL 🇲🇽 https://t.co/am2eZF18oX
The former World No. 1 also threw in a friendly hug for good measure to make the moment even more heart-warming. Swiatek returned the favor by wishing him the same, as well as congratulating the World No. 4 on his recent triumph at the 2022 Mexican Open.
"Congrats for Acapulco. Good luck here too!" Swiatek said.
Here's a video of the meeting uploaded to Instagram by the Tennis Channel's official handle:
"14 Roland Garros titles in the house," the video was captioned.
Rafael Nadal takes on Sebastian Korda in his Indian Wells opener, Iga Swiatek faces Anhelina Kalinina
Rafael Nadal kicks off his campaign at the 2022 Indian Wells Masters against Sebastian Korda on Saturday. The American scored an impressive 6-3, 6-4 victory over qualifier Thanasi Kokkinakis in the first round, registering his first-ever win in Indian Wells.
The 21-time Grand Slam champion was spotted practicing ahead of the encounter, making last-minute adjustments to his game following insights from his coach Marc Lopez. The Spaniard took to Instagram to post photos from his most recent training session and also included a short video clip of him fine-tuning his serve.
"Practice mood. Saturday first round and now adjusting the last few things before we start," he wrote.
The 35-year-old is on a 15-match unbeaten streak since the turn of the year, marking his best-ever start to a season. Having won the Melbourne Summer Set, Australian Open and Mexican Open so far, the World No. 4 will look to win his fourth title of the season in Indian Wells, which will also mark his fourth title in the California desert.
Young American Sebastian Korda gets a second crack at his idol Rafael Nadal, who is 15-0 this year
Korda lost 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 in their first meeting: at Roland Garros in 2020 on red clay
This one comes in round 2 of Indian Wells on a hardcourt.
Progress check for Korda https://t.co/tr0NX7U9FC
Iga Swiatek, meanwhile, will take on Anhelina Kalinina in her opener. The Ukrainian defeated Clara Burel in the first round to set up a meeting with the third seed.
The most recent WTA 1000 champion, @Iga_swiatek, draws the winner of Clara Burel or Anhelina Kalinina!
@BNPPARIBASOPEN l #IndianWells https://t.co/q25TFVZtpg