Roland Garros 2020 champion, 20-year-old Iga Swiatek won this year in Adelaide and at the Italian Open in Rome, entering the WTA world top 10 for the first time until reaching the 4th position in the ranking, which she still occupies. .
Also present at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Iga clearly defeated Mona Barthel before being stopped by Spanish Paula Badosa with a score of 6-3 7-6. At Roland Garros in Paris, where she defended the success of the previous season, the Warsaw star beat Kaja Juvan, Rebecca Peterson, Anett Kontaveit and Marta Kostyuk before being defeated by Greece’s Maria Sakkari in the quarterfinals.
Swiatek: That’s why I admire Nadal so much
Huge fan of the former world number one, Rafael Nadal, Iga spoke about him again in a recent intervention in Cross Court, as also revealed by the site We Love Tennis.
She said: “It’s not just about the way he plays, because I clearly love his elevation and the way he competes on clay, which is also my favorite surface. When I was younger I have to admit that I wanted to be like him, but I knew it was a bit impossible because he is so much stronger.
Besides, I also want to emphasize that I like his attitude and the way he behaves off the pitch, because he tries to be a good example for others ”. Appearing for the last time on the hard courts of Washington, Nadal announced that he had undergone treatment and would miss the rest of the season.
The Mallorcan triumphed this year in Barcelona and Rome, where he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas and Novak Djokovic, respectively. The Spanish champion could get back on track for the start of the new season, perhaps with Roger Federer at the 2022 Australian Open.
Swiatek is currently the only Polish player to have won a Grand Slam trophy: her compatriot Agniezka Radwanska had made it all the way to the Wimbledon final. A few hours ago the Indian Wells appointment began, after the cancellation of 2020 due to Covid.
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