"Something clicked" - Iga Swiatek shares how Rafael Nadal gave her 'hope' during narrow escape against Aryna Sabalenka in Madrid Open final
Iga Swiatek has opened up about how she drew inspiration from Rafael Nadal during her closely contested clash against Aryna Sabalenka in the 2024 Madrid Open final.
In a rematch of last year's Madrid Open final, Swiatek avenged her defeat to Sabalenka in spectacular fashion. The World No. 1 saved three championship points in the thrilling final set to secure a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(7) victory and clinch her maiden title at the WTA 1000 event.
Following the win, the 22-year-old disclosed that she wasn't surprised by the intensity of her battle against Sabalenka but admitted that she was taken aback by her own efforts going in vain for two hours of the contest.
"Physically and tennis-wise, it didn't surprise me, but it did make me feel better mentally in the third set. I felt like I was trying hard for two hours and it wasn't working," Iga Swiatek said in her post-match press conference (via Punto de Break).
"I wondered if I was going to let go at some point. No. It's really been until two hours have passed. That surprised me," she added.
Iga Swiatek shed light on her mindset during the challenging battle, revealing that she drew inspiration from Rafael Nadal's legendary comeback against Daniil Medvedev in the 2022 Australian Open final.
The World No. 1 credited the Spaniard's ability to overcome his tension and stress for giving her "hope" in her clash against Sabalenka.
"Honestly, one of the things that came to mind is that Rafa had a couple of matches like that. The boys have three sets at least, so I guess they have more time for that to happen. I remember when he played against Medvedev in Australia and something clicked," she said.
"He also suffered from being tense and from stress. I'm not sure because I haven't talked to him, but I've felt that. That has given me hope. I would say that looking only at the finals, this has been the most intense and craziest I have ever played. That it's final makes it even crazier," she added.
"People expect Rafael Nadal to do something spectacular, but he has to take care of himself" - Iga Swiatek
During her campaign at the Madrid Open, Iga Swiatek denounced the expectations on Rafael Nadal to achieve something "spectacular" before hanging up his racquet, emphasizing that his priority should be taking care of himself.
"I just want people to take it easy and let him do it his way. People expect him to do something spectacular, but honestly, Rafa has to take care of himself and I hope he does," she said in a press conference.
Swiatek also expressed her reluctance to speculate on the 22-time Grand Slam champion's final tournament, acknowledging the difficulty of such a decision for the 22-time Grand Slam champion.
"I don't want to talk about whether this will be Nadal's last match or tournament because it's his decision and it's been hard for him. It's very professional, but I don't know how my brain would respond to knowing that I'm playing my last game," she added.
Nadal concluded the final Madrid Open campaign of his career in the fourth round, losing to Jiri Lehecka in straight sets. The Spaniard has since arrived in Rome for the Italian Open.