Andy Roddick compared Iga Swiatek‘s dominance on slow surfaces to that of Rafael Nadal because it resembles that.
The Pole is known as a tremendous performer on slow surfaces. She’s always been very good at clay courts, which is why she has three Roland Garros trophies in her name and probably a few more in store in the future.
She’s been pretty good on slower hard courts as well, which is what her Indian Wells record proves. She recently won her second trophy at the event, joining an elite group of players who did it in the past.
Her domination on the slow surfaces just reminds Andy Roddick of Rafael Nadal and how he dominated on the slower courts for much of his career, even when he didn’t have a good year on fast surfaces.
“She [Iga Swiatek] can struggle, she’s not played great in four out of the last five Slams… it feels like the Rafa [Nadal] thing where even if she struggles at Majors, on a slow surface like Indian Wells, on a slow surface like Roland Garros, she’s gonna continue to win. You feel like it’s her versus the field at worse at Roland Garros.”
Certainly, Swiatek’s level hasn’t looked as impressive lately as it did two years ago. The impressive part, as he pointed out, is that she still keeps winning, especially on slower surfaces, even though the rest of the field is playing better than two years ago.
That shows a champion mentality similar to Nadal’s, who is able to outshine most players on slower surfaces regardless of his own level. It’s a useful skill, and perhaps she got it from him. Swiatek has been quite open about idolizing Nadal growing up, as he was her favorite player.
They even practiced before, and she did some work for his academy, so the bond is strong. Maybe some tips were shared as well from the 14-time French Open champion, who may soon have a rival in this statistic.
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