Italian Open: Iga Swiatek Uses Rafael Nadal’s Iconic 2019 Wisdom as She Aims to Emulate Idol’s Historic Feat

Being one of the Big 3 in tennis, Rafael Nadal is no stranger to stiff competition. Looking back to 2019, the tennis star seemed to be in a situation of doubt with semi-final defeats in both Madrid and Barcelona. It was just a couple of words that marked the beginning of his dominance in the scene, and Iga Swiatek is copying the same old fierce phrase.

Just days after successfully completing her run for the Madrid Open title, Iga Swiatek is looking forward to showing the same levels of dominance in Rome. Informing fans of her entry into the culture-rich city, the WTA star recently posted a picture of her on Instagram, in which she can be seen walking through the corridors of the same arena where legends once posed.

Besides the picture, the magic lay in the caption which seemed to be just an ordinary statement of confidence. “And here we are. We are in Rome…,” she wrote, expressing enthusiasm before starting her run for another clay court title. This statement draws a correlation with a phrase that Rafael Nadal uttered back in 2019 and wreaking havoc on tennis.

After failing to succeed in both Barcelona and Madrid, Rafa decided to implement a new strategy and therefore announced it with a fierce statement. Not looking back to what happened in the previous events, Rafa said, “Here we are! We are in Rome!” With this, the King of Clay’s dominant side unleashed as he ended up winning titles in both Rome and Roland Garros.

As Iga Swiatek hooted a similar phrase, a golden strategy like Rafa’s might ufold. Or it could be just another caption to announce her entry in the event.

Iga Swiatek regards Rafa-driven inspiration behind her Madrid Open win

Iga Swiatek’s recent win over Aryna Sabalenka made her lift the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. The tennis star had to fight a three-set battle to get through while facing he challenge of Saba’s fierce strokes.

Soon after the victory, the Pole admitted that she felt quite dominated in the first two sets. Mentioning that she drew inspiration from Rafael Nadal’s matches in history where he managed to rise up from a challenging situation, Swiatek said, “One thing that came through my mind was that I think Rafa had a couple of matches like that.”

“I remember exactly when he was playing (Daniil) Medvedev in Australia (Open final in 2022) and it clicked for him. He also struggled for a bit of time, he was tense and I think stressed. That kind of gave me hope that maybe it will click, even after two hours,” she added, making it clear that she draws inspiration from the King of Clay.

As the Pole looks forward to roaring like Rafa by mimicking his statement, the anticipation for her performance makes its way into the minds of the fans.