Iga Swiatek rejuvenated ahead of Madrid Open after Nadal touch to preparation: "Honestly, it was probably one of the best practice weeks I had before a clay-court season"
WTATuesday, 21 April 2026 at 06:30
Iga Swiatek heads into the Madrid Open facing either Daria Kasatkina or a qualifier in the opening round and for the Pole it is no longer about being the self styled Queen of Clay and just going back to basics under a new coach in Francisco Roig.
Of course being back in the home land of both her new coach but also of Nadal, the question of course arises about Nadal and also about her new partnership with Roig which started in Stuttgart albeit losing to Andreeva. “First 15 minutes of practice, I was so tight,” Swiatek told reporters on Monday in Madrid.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God, how should I play? He’s watching, he’s right there, you know’. But honestly, it was my first days outside on clay. So I also gave myself space to… he was like, actually, he knows how it is. So he had like every possible experience probably on the court. So no one expected me to already play perfectly.”
But for Swiatek it is all about adapting to a new game style and one that she hopes will bring her back towards that Queen of Clay mould which has been her past and hopes to be her future again.
A champion in Madrid in 2024, she said that her game on clay had started to go on the downturn but that she is now focusing on the tangibles again and the way of practicing.
“Honestly, I feel it’s the way of practising. And I feel like I’ve been doing a lot of, like, closed patterns. And the rallies sometimes on my practices were kind of short. Where sometimes I needed really to feel solid. And you need to have this feeling in your hand that you’re not going to miss a ball, you know?” said the 24-year-old.
Iga Swiatek returns to Madrid with a new coach.
“And I feel, honestly, this Spanish type of coaching really helps that. Because Spanish players are usually, like, really solid, really fighting for every point. And, like, being ready for long rallies as well. So that’s why I feel like we have the same goals with Francis.
“I feel like after these practices in Mallorca, I’ve been able to not make any rash decisions. For example, when I play, like, sixth or seventh shot in a rally. Which I kind of did for the last year. So also the decision-making needs to change if you want to be more of a grinder. And sometimes not take too much risk if you don’t need to.”
“Francis is more about me staying high on the court and not really leaning too much forward or backwards because basically movement starts all of that,” she added.
Nadal touch
But she also gave great insight into what Nadal brought to the table during their much discussed practice sessions in Mallorca.
“I feel like Rafa gave Francis more space to coach me, especially that these days where Rafa was on court were the first two days of me getting to know Francis. But from time to time, he was also giving me tips and also telling me some stories, how he struggled with some stuff and how he managed to work on them and what were his solutions,” Swiatek revealed.
“So it was really nice to get that perspective. He for sure has, obviously, a really good eye. So I feel like immediately he knew what to tell me sometimes. But still, these were like first practices on clay. So for me, it was a big challenge to have two new people on the court and start playing on clay after hard court. But it was really exciting.
“And honestly, it was probably one of the best practice weeks I had before a clay-court season. So I’m really happy that I could experience that.”
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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