For an audience with the “King of Clay,” the current queen of clay thought it was best to come prepared.
Worried that she might run short of things to say, French Open champion Iga Swiatek says she readied some talking points before hitting balls in a training session in Paris with her idol, 13-time Roland Garros winner Rafael Nadal.
The pre-tournament knock-about between the men's and women's defending champions on red clay made a splash on social media. Unlike many of his opponents, Swiatek got a huge thrill from being on the receiving end of the kicking, spinning left-handed Nadal forehand that spits off the dust.
“I got to feel his forehand, which was great, and his topspin. That was a whole new experience for me,” Swiatek said after getting her title defence rolling on Monday with a straight-set first-round win.
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“It gave me a lot of positive energy. It was really a huge inspiration for me.” Swiatek, who turned 20 on Monday, had just celebrated her fourth birthday when Nadal won his first French Open in 2005.
Finding herself sharing a stage in Paris with the winner of 20 Grand Slam titles has been among the many lifestyle changes that Swiatek has had to adapt to as a Roland Garros champion. Like Nadal back then, she won last year as a heavy-hitting teenager.
For their practice session at Roland Garros, Swiatek said she prepared “some small topics, not to have awkward silence.” But Nadal made her feel at ease.
“Rafa is really great. He's a nice guy. Even though I am pretty introverted, it was really fun for me,” she said. “It's really nice to see such a champion being normal off the tennis court, and also telling jokes and being a little bit sarcastic.”
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