Rafa Nadal's training sparks WTA alarm for Swiatek

American tennis stars Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys voiced concern over Iga Swiatek's recent training session with Rafael Nadal. They observed clips of Swiatek practicing on clay with the 22-time Grand Slam champion and suggested this could be disadvantageous for other WTA players. The remarks were made during a podcast discussing Swiatek's form, as she has yet to advance past the quarter-finals this year and recently changed coaches, appointing Francisco Roig, a former coach of Nadal.

Iga Swiatek, currently competing in the Italian Open, acknowledged hearing about the comments but stated she had not watched the podcast. She expressed that hearing positive feedback from fellow players is rare and made her feel appreciated. However, Swiatek stressed the importance of translating this sentiment into strong on-court performance and preparation for her upcoming matches.

Swiatek's next challenge is against Jessica Pegula in the Italian Open quarter-finals. Swiatek acknowledged Pegula as a tough and experienced opponent, noting that they haven't faced each other on clay in some time. Their previous clay encounter was at the 2022 Roland Garros, where Swiatek emerged victorious, contributing to her overall 6-5 head-to-head lead, though Pegula has won their last three meetings.