Iga Świątek is mirroring her tennis idol to a tee after first Wimbledon title

USA Today

a day ago

Iga Świątek has never been shy about her admiration for the legendary Rafael Nadal. The Polish superstar has frequently talked about how big of an inspiration the 22-time major champion was on her own career as she rose to prominence. Over the years, Nadal has wholeheartedly embraced Świątek as she's tried to follow in his footsteps.
As it turns out, after Świątek won her first Wimbledon title on Saturday, it sure seems like she is also following Nadal's career trajectory ... perfectly. No, seriously. It's basically to a tee. You can't make this up, I swear.
CHAMPIONING HER CULTURE: Świątek beloved strawberries and pasta are Polish delicacy
First off, with 14 French Open titles, Nadal is known as the all-time "King of Clay." No other man has more than eight titles at Roland-Garros. While Świątek still has a ways to go in this regard, she has won four of the last six French Opens, earning a nickname as the current "Queen of Clay." Also, the only other tennis star to win 40 French Open matches faster than Świątek was, you guessed it, Nadal. So, for a time, both were known as "clay merchants" who could only succeed on that specific playing surface.
But that is obviously no longer the case for either.
Secondly, with Świątek's Wimbledon first victory finally giving her a Grand Slam title on all three playing surfaces (clay, grass, hardcourt) — by the way, she is only the eighth woman ever to do so — she almost mirrored Nadal's first six major titles (four at Roland-Garros, one at Wimbledon, one on hardcourt) precisely. The only major difference is that Nadal won his first hardcourt Grand Slam at the 2009 Australian Open while Świątek won her first hardcourt Grand Slam at the 2022 US Open.
If all of this weren't enough, Świątek celebrated her first Wimbledon victory just like Nadal did. I mean, COME ON.
In other words, dearest readers, the Polish dynamo is more or less emulating her tennis role model, Nadal, completely.
To separate from Nadal for a second, Świątek is now 6-0 in Grand Slam finals. The only other players in the Open Era to start at least 6-0 in Grand Slam finals in their respective careers are Margaret Court (8-0), Roger Federer (7-0), and Monica Seles. Świątek is also only one Grand Slam victory from tying Venus Williams and Justine Henin in all-time major titles. Finally, all the Pole needs to complete a career Grand Slam is a win at next year's Australian Open.
All at the age of 24 with her entire career still ahead of her. Phew.
Call it a hunch, but it's probably safe to say that Świątek isn't done channeling Nadal OR making her role model proud.