“People expect him to do something spectacular”: Iga Swiatek wants people to let Rafael Nadal ‘do it his way’

World number one Iga Swiatek has asked fans to ‘take it easy’ and let Spain’s legendary tennis star Rafael Nadal do things his way before retiring from the sport. The 37-year-old is often regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men’s tennis in the Open era, having won as many as 22 Grand Slam titles.

Nadal, who is also known as the ‘King of Clay’ after having won 14 Grand Slams while playing at the Roland Garros, has struggled with fitness concerns in the recent past and it was because of this reason, he ended up missing three out of four Grand Slams last year.

The former world number one returned to full fitness earlier this year but once again suffered an injury during the Brisbane International which ruled him out of action from more than one mega-events such as the Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami Open and the Monte-Carlo Masters.

It was for these reasons, that Nadal announced back in 2023 that the next season would be his last before he hung up his boots. Swiatek, who herself is considered the best player currently playing in the women’s singles category, was recently quoted in a report where she stated that it is unfair for people to expect something ‘spectacular’ from Nadal before his retirement where his first preference should have been to ‘take care of himself’.

"I just want people to take it easy and let him do it his way,” said the four-time Grand Slam winner. “People expect him to do something spectacular, but honestly, Rafa has to take care of himself and I hope he does. I don't want to talk about whether this will be Nadal's last match or tournament because it's his decision and it's been hard for him. It's very professional, but I don't know how my brain would respond to knowing that I'm playing my last game.”