Iga Swiatek not sure she will watch tennis after Rafael Nadal retires at the Davis Cup Finals

Iga Swiatek not sure she will watch tennis after Rafael Nadal retires at the Davis Cup Finals

Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek (via Eurosport)

Rafael Nadal will surely be missed after he retires from professional tennis at the Davis Cup Finals. One of his biggest fans, Iga Swiatek, had a brief meeting with the legend in Malaga while representing Poland at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. She recently opened up about how she felt knowing Nadal will hang his racket soon.

Nadal remains an undisputed legend of the tennis court having won 22 Grand Slams, of which 14 came at the Roland Garros. To this day, he is the greatest clay-court player in history, winning 47 Big titles on the surface. However, the Spaniard has struggled with injuries, which has limited his time on the court so far.

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In October, Nadal announced his decision to retire at the Davis Cup Finals, which is set to kick off on November 19. The Spaniard has begun his training with the Spanish Team and has been spotted with various WTA players, who are at the same venue for the Billie Jean King Cup. Swiatek admitted she had a good meeting with Nadal five minutes before her three-set win against Paula Badosa.

During her press conference after the match, she revealed she has mixed feelings about Nadal’s retirement. She added that Spanish legend was the only player she watched and doesn’t know if she will ever watch tennis again.

But it’s always nice to see Rafa, and I’m going to watch, you know, online his matches, because, I don’t know. I have, like, mixed feelings, because I’m happy that he can start a new chapter, and I’m happy that also he can have a nice finish here on Davis Cup, a tournament that he loves and in Spain, you know. But on the other hand, I really will miss watching him on court. Honestly, he was the only player I watched, so I don’t know if I’m going to watch tennis at all now.
Iga Swiatek said via (Billie Jean King Cup Press)

Rafael Nadal and Spain will face the Netherlands in the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup. The Spaniard was chosen by captain David Ferrer and will compete alongside Roberto Bautista Agut, Carlos Alcaraz, Pedro Martinez, and Marcel Granollers.
Iga Swiatek beats Paula Badosa, helps Poland oust Spain from the Billie Jean King Cup Finals

Iga Swiatek and Paula Badosa faced off for the first time in three years at the Billie Jean King Cup. Having split their two prior meetings, the third was an intense battle for two and a half hours. However, Swiatek came out on top securing the win for Poland 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-1 while shutting the raucous Spanish crowd.
Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek (Via Imago)

The match was Swiatek’s third win since the US Open. After failing to qualify for the semifinals of the WTA Finals, the Polish star was excited to help her country at the World Cup of Tennis. She revealed after the win that she pushed herself for every point.

My match with Paula was super intense. I felt like it was my best match since I came back after US Open. But later, she pushed me. There was a lot of pressure. The tiebreak, I knew every point mattered. It went her way, but I knew I could be back in the third set and try to win it for Poland.
Iga Swiatek said via Sports Illustrated

Swiatek is looking forward to ending her season on a high after her recent off-court struggles. She and Poland will face the Czech Republic in the second match of the Billie Jean King quarterfinals.