Iga Swiatek pays tribute to Rafael Nadal. Full Details Below

Iga Swiatek paid tribute to Rafael Nadal in Mallorca as the Pole said the Spaniard’s tenacity also inspired her success. After winning the French Open, Swiatek stopped by the Rafael Nadal Academy to deliver a speech to this year’s class of graduates.

Nadal, who was also present during the ceremony, expressed his gratitude to Swiatek for showing up to deliver a speech to kids just days after her third French Open title. “For the last few weeks, I’ve been looking at one quote at Roland Garros in Paris.

On Philippe-Chatrier Stadium it’s written ‘The victory belongs to the most tenacious. I often have the feeling that sometimes when I’m playing or when I’m doing things off court, that I should do them better or I should seek perfection.

But this shouldn’t be the sense. We should all focus on the process and giving 100 percent, no matter what you can give, because every day is different. So I hope no matter what you do in the future years, if you’re going to give 100 percent, if you’re going to dedicate your focus and time to do it the best way possible, no matter what the result is going to be I’m sure that you’ll have no regrets at the end,” Swiatek said, via Eurosport.

Swiatek on seeing Nadal overcome struggles and win
“These are the matches that inspired me. So I hope you will be tenacious,” Swiatek said. Growing up, Swiatek idolized and looked up to Nadal. This past fortnight, 22-year-old Swiatek became the youngest player since Serena Williams in 2002 to win four Grand Slams.

Now, Swiatek’s focus is switching to the grass season. So far, Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam tournament where Swiatek hasn’t really had a deep run. In 2021, Swiatek made the Wimbledon round-of-16 but suffered a third-round loss at The Championships last year. This year, Swiatek is hoping to make her big Wimbledon breakthrough.