Iga Świątek travelled to the Rafa Nadal Academy in April in search of inspiration.
The Polish star struggled throughout the first three months of the year; and as a consequence, she split from coach Wim Fissette.
Swiatek then travelled to the clay courts of Mallorca and worked with Rafael Nadal and Francisco Roig; who later became the Pole’s full-time coach.
Nadal, who retired from his playing career in 2024, also mentored Alexander Zverev last year during the German’s visit to the Mallorcan institution.
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Following his work with Swiatek, Nadal has stated whether he is looking to become a full-time coach on the professional circuit.
Rafael Nadal says he is not ready to become a full-time coach
“I am very clear about that, I am not ready to help anyone in a diary [permanent] basis,” Nadal said on Andy Roddick’s Served Podcast while discussing his new Netflix documentary.
“I have plenty of things in my life which don’t allow me to put all my attention on a particular player the way that they deserve it.
“That’s the truth.
“But my phone is always open for any call, for any player,” the 22-time major champion continued. “If they want to come to the academy for a few days I will be there.
“Iga came, Sascha [Zverev] last year for a while, I had a couple of conversations with other players – some are public and some weren’t, so I don’t want to say that.
“But a couple of players asked me for a tip or a conversation about how I deal with one thing or another.
“I mean, if I can help the others with zero interest because all these young players and things they are living today I went through, I am happy to do it.
“For me it is not a big issue and if I can be a help it’s very welcome.”
Nadal, who recently discussed Alexander Zverev’s Roland Garros triumph, would be an incredible coup for any player looking for a top-end coach.
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However, Nadal’s stance makes perfect sense. The Spaniard remains as busy as ever, running the Rafa Nadal Academy and attending various events across the globe.
Last year, Nadal also ruled out becoming Spain’s Davis Cup captain anytime soon, stating to beIN Sports that the role ‘doesn’t fit’ with his life.
Iga Świątek said it was a ‘privilege’ to work with Rafael Nadal
“With Rafa, it was just a privilege. Really inspiring time,” Swiatek said in April after training with the Spaniard in Mallorca.
“I always am super motivated before coming on clay, but having him on the court was like an extra crazy boost of motivation.
“I don’t think I ever spent so much time on court as I did in Mallorca. It was really a week full of grind and hard work.”
Since training with Nadal [and hiring Roig] Swiatek has achieved mixed results on the WTA Tour.
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The Pole first reached the Stuttgart Open quarter-finals [winning one match] before losing to Mirra Andreeva.
Swiatek then travelled to Madrid, where she was defeated in the fourth round by eventual champion Marta Kostyuk.
The 24-year-old then took her talents to Rome, where she beat Naomi Osaka and Jessica Pegula on her way to the semi-finals.
In the last four, she was defeated by eventual champion Elina Svitolina.
Two weeks later, Swiatek was again beaten by Marta Kostyuk, this time in the French Open fourth round.
