Iga Swiatek is worried she may stop doing something once Rafael Nadal retires from tennis.
Like many the World number two posted a tribute to the 38-year-old after he announced his decision to stop playing after the Davis Cup finals.
Nadal is in Malaga training for the last tournament of his career and he will try to win a sixth Davis Cup title.
Swiatek is also in Malaga, as the Spanish city is hosting both the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup finals, which she is trying to help her country of Poland win for the first time.
What does Iga Swiatek think she might stop doing after Rafael Nadal retires?
It is well documented how much Iga Swiatek admires Rafael Nadal and looked up to him throughout her career.
She credited the Spaniard for the reason she wanted to play tennis and she has since had multiple chances to meet and spend time with him, and even visited the Rafael Nadal Academy.
Given the influence he had on her life and career, Swiatek is now unsure if she will continue to watch tennis after Nadal plays his final match at the Davis Cup finals.
“It’s always nice to see Rafa, and I’m going to watch, you know, his matches online, because, I don’t know,” Swiatek told reporters in Malaga.
“I have, like, mixed feelings, because I’m happy that he can start a new chapter, and I’m happy that also he can have a nice finish here on Davis Cup, a tournament that he loves and in Spain, you know.
“But on the other hand, I really will miss watching him on court. Honestly, he was the only player I watched, so I don’t know if I’m going to watch tennis at all now. But, yeah, he’s a huge inspiration. Yeah, I have mixed feelings, for sure.”
Did Iga Swiatek meet with Rafael Nadal Malaga before the Davis Cup finals?
In the same press conference Swiatek was asked if she had the chance to meet with Nadal in Malaga as they are both in the Spanish city representing their countries in their respective team events.
The 23-year-old said she did meet with the former World number one, but it was only a brief exchange.
“Yeah, we actually met, I don’t know, like, five minutes before my match, so I wasn’t really in my talking mode,” the five-time Grand Slam winner said.
This is because Swiatek faced Nadal’s compatriot Paula Badosa in the opening round of the Billie Jean King Cup finals as Spain took on Poland.
Magna Linette won a near four-hour epic against Sara Sorribes Tormo to put Poland in front, and Swiatek sent her country through to the quarter-finals after beating Badosa 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-1.
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