By Richard Pagliaro
Iga Swiatek is a student of the sport and shared what she learned in her pre-Roland Garros practice with her tennis hero Rafael Nadal.
The reigning Roland Garros champion cited three top takeaways from hitting with the king of clay: Nadal's twisting topspin forehand takes spin to next-level heights, the positive energy her pours into practice is inspiring and Rafa likes to laugh.
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"Obviously I got to feel his forehand, which was great, and his topspin," Swiatek said after her 6-0, 7-5 French Open first-round win over buddy Kaja Juvan. "That was a whole new experience for me. It gave me, like, a lot of positive energy.
"It was really a huge inspiration for me. It's really nice to see such a champion being normal off court, and also telling jokes and being a little bit sarcastic. It's really, really nice. He's the guy that everybody can take something for themselves."
The champions' hit happened after the pair engaged in a “champion’s chat on Saturday.
Swiatek scripted history at Roland Garros last fall as the first Polish player—male or female—to capture a Grand Slam singles crown.
A studious Swiatek prepared for her hit with her hero writing down questions for Rafa, both to learn and prevent any awkard silences. Sounds like there weren't many of those.
"It was great. It wasn't a surprise because I had to prepare," Swiatek said. "Write some small topics, not to have awkward silence.
"But Rafa is really, really great. He's a really nice guy. Even though I am pretty introverted, it was really fun for me."