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Iga Swiatek's preparation routine for her French Open 2023 match against Claire Liu caught tennis fans' attention as they think the comparison with Rafael Nadal is not justified.
Rafael Nadal is known for having a lot of routines that he follows to the letter, and one of those is his signature run just before going on the court for a match. Before her match against Claire Liu, Swiatek was recorded doing something very similar, and most of the tennis world immediately called it Nadal-esque.
A user reminded everyone that Swiatek has been a Nadal fan all her life.
"She has admired him her entire tennis career," a fan wrote.
Surprisingly or not, some were not amused with the Nadal comparison.
"Honestly plenty of players do this. Slow down with the Rafa thing, it's getting annoying", wrote one tennis fan on Twitter.
"If I was the opponent I would just stand in the middle of the corridor," one tennis fan wrote.
"This is such cringe at this point," added another.
Here are some more reactions:
There was even some analysis of Iga Swiatek's running technique.
"Know nothing about biomechanics, but visually it appears there is something wrong with her running technique. Noticed in Italy, Madrid when she was practically falling over going for short balls," a user wrote.
After Rafael Nadal officially withdrew from the 2023 French Open, Iga Swiatek commented on the Spaniard's battle with injuries.
"I’m a big Rafa fan. For sure I wish he could play. But honestly, like, I really, really respect what kind of warrior he is. He’s always trying to push and trying to get better and play better and just trying to compete on the highest level," Swiatek said.
Swiatek has talked about being a Nadal fan ever since she broke into the spotlight in women's tennis.
Even though she wants to see him play as much as the next fan, Swiatek is wary of the implications that come with returning from injury too soon.
“I don’t know how much, like, pain he’s living with. I don’t want to, like, see him suffering a lot. I’m kind of like biased because I would love to see him play, but on the other hand, I know if he’s going to really, like, suffer, it’s not going to be so fun to see him like that", Iga Swiatek admitted.
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
