‘It Should Be Banned’: Rivals Respond to Iga Swiatek Practising with Rafael Nadal

Iga Swiatek has sought the guidance of tennis icon Rafael Nadal to enhance her performance this season, with a recent clip of their court session sending shivers down the spines of her WTA competitors.

This week, a video featuring the two clay-court specialists at the Rafael Nadal Academy surfaced on Instagram, showcasing the Spanish great supporting Swiatek during her practice.

Nadal wasn’t merely watching from the back of the court; he has also joined forces with Swiatek by bringing on his former coach, Francisco Roig, to her team.

Roig spent over 17 years working alongside Nadal before taking a brief stint with British prodigy Emma Raducanu, a partnership that lasted only six months.

Now a prominent figure in the tennis community, Roig aims to help Swiatek regain her top form.

If the mere fact that Roig is on her side wasn’t enough to concern her WTA rivals, training with the king of clay just a little over a month before the French Open certainly will be.

“I saw the clip of them on the clay and I thought, ugh, this is bad news for everyone… this should be against the rules,” remarked world No. 5 Jessica Pegula on The Player’s Box podcast.

“Seriously! The last thing we needed was for Iga to be on the clay with Rafa,” added fellow American star Madison Keys, a co-host on the podcast.

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Swiatek has previously expressed that Nadal, a 22-time grand slam champion, has been her idol since childhood, much like many others on the professional circuit.

Both Keys and Pegula acknowledged that the opportunity to train with such a legendary player would be exhilarating, though they admitted they would feel quite anxious.

Desirae Krawczyk, another American tennis player and podcast co-host, shared her thoughts about what it would be like to train in front of Nadal.

“I would be incredibly anxious hitting in front of him,” she confessed.

“It would be thrilling, but I’d constantly be thinking, ‘oh my god, I can’t make a mistake’.”

“In just five seconds, if I were on clay, he’d probably be like, ‘why are you so close to the baseline?'” Keys chimed in, laughing.

Swiatek is set to compete at the French Open in May, aiming to improve on her semi-final finish from last season, where she faced defeat against Aryna Sabalenka.