'He has some superpowers' - When Iga Swiatek hailed Rafael Nadal as her inspiration

Rafael Nadal will be in action at the 2024 Rome Masters.

Polish tennis star Iga Swiatek defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the final of the Madrid Open 2024 to win her maiden title in the Spanish capital. En route to her astounding triumph, she also broke and created a series of records.

Nevertheless, the WTA World No. 1 has always admired the most successful singles player in Madrid Open history, Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard is a five-time men’s singles champion at the Spanish capital. Two years ago, in 2022, Swiatek lavished praise on Nadal by stating that the 14-time French Open Champion is her inspiration.

She also recalled his 2022 Australian Open-winning campaign. The Spaniard faced Daniil Medvedev in the final, and Nadal lost the initial two sets. It seemed like Medvedev would win his second Grand Slam; however, Rafael Nadal crafted an unforgettable comeback to win the match 2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5.

Recalling the match, Iga Swiatek stated that she was at the stadium. She said, “Rafa has always been my inspiration. Watching him there at the Australian Open this year, I was there at the stadium.”

She added, “After first two sets, where Daniil (Medvedev) played such good tennis. He has some superpowers, just never gives up, physically, tactically, always there on the court. He’s the perfect role model. He’s the greatest of all time in tennis right now.”

Also Read: Rafael Nadal records three consecutive wins for first time in almost two years

Interestingly, during the last set of the match, the cameras also caught the WTA World No. 1 supporting the 22-time Grand Slam champion. Rafael Nadal won his last Grand Slam in June 2022, where he defeated Casper Ruud to win the Roland Garros.

Since then, the Spaniard has been suffering from injury issues. He missed the whole 2023 season due to a hip injury and surgery for the same problem. He returned to action at the Adelaide International in January earlier this year, but his hip injury flared again. As a result, he was sidelined for three more months before he finally returned to action at the ATP 500 Barcelona Open.

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