Andy Roddick recently claimed that Iga Swiatek’s intensity on court was similar to that of Rafael Nadal’s. Swiatek bowed out of the Australian Open after losing a thrilling semifinal to 19th seed Madison Keys. The Pole won the first set 7-5 before Keys pulled off a remarkable comeback to bag the second set 6-1. The third set went to a tiebreak and Keys won it 10-8 to reach her second Major final.
Swiatek did not let her intensity falter during the match, a trait which Andy Roddick feels is very much like Rafael Nadal. Speaking on his podcast Served with Andy Roddick, the former World No. 1 said he saw a lot of similarities between Swiatek and Nadal’s on-court demeanors.
“I relate to watching Iga a little bit more because I was a little more frantic. I was a little more fidgety. Her intensity, point-to-point, is Rafa-like. She emotes more than Rafa, which makes us view her as…Rafa doesn’t give you anything when he’s losing points. Iga will look at the box and maybe look a little more panicked sometimes, but she’s right back as far as point-to-point and refocusing and resetting (is concerned),” said Roddick (3:13 onwards).
Iga Swiatek has said in the past that she looks up to Nadal and was even pictured reading a book about him at the Australian Open this year. Based on her intensity on the court, Roddick said it was no surprise that she idolized the 14-time French Open champion.
“It’s not hard to see that Rafa was her idol. She mimics that. One point to the next one, to the next one, her intensity never falters,” added Roddick.
Iga Swiatek matched her best-ever performance at the Australian Open, having previously reached the semifinals in 2022.
