Iga Swiatek reveals training with Rafael Nadal gave her a lot of "positive energy", says it was "really nice" to see Nadal joking & being sarcastic
Defending Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek recently trained with her idol Rafael Nadal ahead of her first-round match against Kaja Juvan. Swiatek ended up beating the Slovenian 6-0, 7-5, and after the win, she spoke extensively about her training session with Nadal.
Iga Swiatek claimed practicing with the 20-time Grand Slam champion filled her with "positive energy" and served as an inspiration.
"It (her training session with Rafael Nadal) gave me, like a lot of positive energy," Iga Swiatek said. "It was really a huge inspiration for me. It's really nice to see such a champion being normal off court, and also telling jokes and being a little sarcastic. It's really, really nice. He's the guy that everybody can take something from for themselves."
Iga Swiatek marveled at the Mallorcan's forehand and revealed she had never faced a shot with such heavy topspin.
"Even though I am pretty introverted, it was really fun for me," Swiatek continued. "Obviously I got to feel his forehand, which was great, and his topspin. That was a whole new experience for me."
Swiatek further revealed that she went into the training session prepped with a list of topics to talk about in order to avoid a period of "awkward silence".
"It was great," the Pole added. "It wasn't a surprise because I had to prepare (smiling). Write some small topics, not to have awkward silence. But Rafa is really, really great. He's a really nice guy."
Iga Swiatek's training session with Rafael Nadal
Iga Swiatek is one of Rafael Nadal's biggest fans and training with the Spaniard at Roland Garros, coupled with her win over Kaja Juvan, has capped a wonderful few days for the Pole, who turned 20 on Monday.
During her press conference, Swiatek also weighed in on Naomi Osaka's decision to boycott all media interactions at Roland Garros.
The Pole stressed that having a "good relationship" with the media was important and maintained that both parties stood to benefit from each other.
"Having a good relationship can help you," Swiatek said. "If I have a problem or something, I'm going to tell you that I'm not comfortable talking with that. If we treat each other with mutual respect, I think everybody can benefit."
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