Iga Swiatek told there is a ‘possibility’ she could make the same transformation as Rafael Nadal in the future

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Iga Swiatek has been in fine form recently and looks to be a real contender for the title in New York.

After struggling during the early stages of the season (by her standards), Swiatek won her maiden Wimbledon title in July, taking her Grand Slam tally to six.

Shortly after, Swiatek won the Cincinnati Open, narrowing the gap to Aryna Sabalenka atop the world rankings.

Carrying that momentum forward to New York, Swiatek dominated Emiliana Arango in her opener, 6-1, 6-2.

Reacting to Swiatek’s dominant US Open first-round win, Martina Navratilova and Ryan Harrison compared the Pole to her idol, Rafael Nadal.

Martina Navratilova says Iga Swiatek could transform her game just like Rafael Nadal did

Former world number one Navratilova was impressed with Swiatek’s ‘solid’ performance in round one, sharing her thoughts on Sky Sports.

“She looks fantastic, right where she left off in Cincinnati and of course Wimbledon, it was crazy how well she played on her least favorite surface [grass],” said Navratilova.

“This girl, [Emiliana] Arango, she tried, but she just didn’t have the pace or depth to bother Iga [Swiatek] with anything.

“I predicted a 6-1, 6-2 match, and that’s exactly how it turned out. Iga was very comfortable, didn’t go for too much.

“Solid, solid performance and really ran Arango into the ground.”

Former American star Ryan Harrison weighed in with his thoughts, commenting on Swiatek’s remarkable grass-court season, comparing her to Spanish legend Nadal.

“That’s incredible stuff, the grass courts, not typically her favorite surface, and hard courts, not typically her favorite surface, she really made her way through on clay,” said Harrison.

“It reminds me a lot of what happened with Rafa [Nadal], early on in his career, he was so dominant on the clay, then season after season, he got better on the faster surfaces, better on the grass, started winning majors on not just the clay but the grass and hard courts, and Iga seems to be following on that trend for me.”

Navratilova agreed as she recalled what Nadal struggled with during the first few years of his professional career.

“I hope so. Rafa was allergic to the net at the beginning of his career, and by the end, he was one of the best volleyers on tour,” she said.

“I think Iga has that possibility if she buys into that, and also when you get older, you want to shorten the points, and overall, you want to shorten the points, so we’ll see if she transfers her game how Rafa did.”

Swiatek has spoken openly about her admiration for Nadal over the years, naming the Spaniard as her idol during a 2022 press conference.

“Rafa, for sure, he inspired me a lot. I had a lot of fun watching him play on TV. Basically, his mental strength is the main thing I wanted to take from him,” she said.

“Rafa has always been my idol.”

Like Nadal, Swiatek began her career picking up Grand Slam titles on the clay, before finding success on hard and grass courts.

Iga Swiatek and Rafael Nadal’s Grand Slam careers

Perhaps taking inspiration from her idol, Swiatek’s Grand Slam career has largely mirrored Nadal’s.

Both players won four of their first six Grand Slams on clay, splitting the other two between hard and grass courts.

Rafael Nadal’s first six Grand Slams

• 2005 French Open (Clay)
• 2006 French Open (Clay)
• 2007 French Open (Clay)
• 2008 French Open (Clay)
• 2008 Wimbledon (Grass)
• 2009 Australian Open (Hard)

Iga Swiatek’s first six Grand Slams

• 2020 French Open (Clay)
• 2022 French Open (Clay)
• 2022 US Open (Hard)
• 2023 French Open (Clay)
• 2024 French Open (Clay)
• 2025 Wimbledon (Grass)

Nadal won a further six non-clay-court Grand Slams before retiring from tennis last year, a tally Swiatek would no doubt love to match.

Swiatek will have a chance to win her second US Open title over the coming weeks, but may already have one eye on the Australian Open in January.

Yet to complete the Career Grand Slam, Swiatek could finally complete the landmark achievement with a win in Melbourne.

Her idol, Nadal, completed the Career Grand Slam twice, doing so for the first time in 2010 and the second time in 2022.

Swiatek will try not to get ahead of herself thinking about the Australian Open just yet; however, as she now prepares to take on Suzan Lamens in the second round of the US Open on Thursday, August 28.