Iga Swiatek credited Rafael Nadal’s heroics as the inspiration behind her intense and crazy victory at the Madrid Open final. Swiatek found herself down a break and facing three championship points but managed to rally and come out on top, much like Nadal did in the 2022 Australian Open final against Daniil Medvedev. She drew upon Nadal’s ability to turn matches around and found her very best tennis in the final set against Aryna Sabalenka, ultimately winning her 20th career title in a grueling three-hour match.
Swiatek acknowledged that she was thinking of Nadal’s comeback in the Australian Open final when she found herself struggling in the Madrid Open final. She highlighted the importance of staying loose and believing that things could turn around, even after two hours of tense play. Swiatek’s perseverance paid off as she was able to find her rhythm and come out victorious in what she described as the most intense and crazy final she had ever played. Despite the challenging match, Swiatek expressed pride in her ability to fight through tough moments and emerge victorious.
With her victory in Madrid, Swiatek has now won her last seven finals and shares the record for the most titles and match wins of the season with world No. 4 Elena Rybakina. Swiatek’s win in Madrid also marks her success in capturing all the major WTA titles on clay, a significant milestone in her career. While Swiatek admitted that she did not think about these achievements during the tournament, she acknowledged the significance of such milestones in her career and the satisfaction that comes with winning each tournament she competes in.
The Madrid title win solidified Swiatek’s position as the world No. 1, opening up a significant lead over Sabalenka in the rankings. This marks Swiatek’s largest lead as the top-ranked player since Indian Wells last year, further establishing her dominance in women’s tennis. As Swiatek looks forward to the Italian Open, she has the opportunity to increase her lead in the rankings, given that she only has 215 points to defend from her quarter-finals appearance last year. With her strong form and mental toughness, Swiatek is poised to continue her success on the court and maintain her position as one of the top players in the world.
