Rafael Nadal news: Why Iga Swiatek stuck around in Melbourne

Iga Swiatek has revealed that she stuck around in Melbourne after her Australian Open semi-final exit to take in Rafael Nadal’s match against Daniil Medvedev.
It is no secret that Swiatek is a big fan of Nadal, and the man himself had sent an encouraging text to the Pole after her defeat to Danielle Collins in the last four.
Swiatek confessed that she doubted that Nadal could pull of the comeback, however, she believes that he showed why he is a 21-time Grand Slam winner.
She was particularly impressed with how he was able to outlast a man 12-years his junior.
“It was really inspiring because during the match I felt, like, different phases. At the beginning I thought it’s going to be pretty hard for him (Rafa) playing that way to get the score around, to actually start winning with Daniil being so confident going forward,” explained Swiatek in a video interview for the Roland-Garros website.
“Rafa also did some little mistakes. But you could see even after his reactions that he’s trying to fight through it. Basically during that match I thought if he’s going to win that, it’s going to be really mind-blowing and he’s going to show why he’s Rafa, why he won so many Grand Slams.”
Swiatek added: “That was just amazing. Only a few players can do that. Also it shows that even though the ‘Big Three’, they are older than other players that are coming up, physically they can win these five-set matches. Their physical preparation must be amazing.
“Daniil is 25, Rafa is 10 years older. At the end he was the one who was stronger in important moments. Physically also. That’s amazing.”
Swiatek fell victim to a quirk of the draw in Dubai this week, coming up against in-form but unseeded Jelena Ostapenko in the Round of 16 and going down in a three-set thriller.
Ostapenko has gone on to reach the semi-finals where she faces Simona Halep in a rematch 2017 French Open final.
Nadal meanwhile will get back to life on the ATP Tour in California in March when he enters Indians Wells.
Latest
-
Davis Cup
Dan Evans owns ‘hardest loss to take’ in Davis Cup tie against Colombia
Britain were handed the nightmare trip after failing to qualify for the quarter-finals last year.
-
News
Casper Ruud out to emulate Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem
Casper Ruud believes he can win on any surface.
-
Wimbledon
Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina begs Wimbledon to maintain ban on Russian and Belarusian players
Elina Svitolina has begged Wimbledon to maintain the ban.
-
Australian Open
Novak Djokovic’s Australian Open win was a ratings flop for American TV
ESPN have released their viewing figures for the Australian Open final and they suggest just 439,000 viewers watched in America.
-
ATP Tour
Felix Auger-Aliassime backed to win Wimbledon in 2023
Felix Auger-Aliassime has been backed to make his Grand Slam breakthrough in 2023.
-
News
Serena Williams opens up on Will Smith’s Oscar slap
Serena Williams says that we are all human and make mistakes in the heat of the moment.
-
Tennis News
Nick Kyrgios escapes conviction despite pleading guilty to assaulting ex-girlfriend
Nick Kyrgios saw the common assault charge against him dismissed.
-
Davis Cup
Great Britain braced for ‘complicated’ Davis Cup qualifier in Colombia
Matches will be played at an altitude of 2,600 metres and with pressureless balls.
-
WTA Tour
Heather Watson ends her quarter-final drought with win in Thailand – ‘It was just survival of the fittest’
Heather Watson will now face Chinese seventh seed Xinyu Wang.
-
Tennis News
Toni Nadal shares thoughts on fans’ hostility toward Novak Djokovic as well as Rafael Nadal’s future
Toni Nadal on why Novak Djokovic has so many detractors.