Iga Swiatek 'proud' to be compared with 'total legend' Rafael Nadal after making French Open final

ByLewis Mason

Published 06/06/2024 at 22:30 GMT

Iga Swiatek is into her third straight French Open final after a straight sets semi-final triumph against Coco Gauff. The world No. 1 will face Jasmine Paolini as she aims to claim her fourth title at Roland-Garros. Her dominance on clay has led to comparisons to Rafael Nadal but Swiatek said "we'll see" when asked if she could match Nadal's Paris pedigree throughout her career.

Iga Swiatek says she is "proud" to be compared to Rafael Nadal as she continued her dominance on clay by reaching the French Open final.

She swept past Coco Gauff in straight sets on Court Philippe-Chatrier to set up a Grand Slam decider against Jasmine Paolini - who beat Mirra Andreeva in the last-four.

Swiatek is going for her third straight title at Roland-Garros and her fourth triumph in five years.

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Of course, there is still a long way to go for the world No. 1 to match the 14 trophies won by Nadal in Paris, but at 22 years old, she has time to match the Spaniard’s feat.

Asked about her likeness to Nadal on clay, Swiatek said: "We'll see in 14 years if the journey is similar."

In the build up to the French Open, Swiatek also enjoyed success on the red dirt of the Madrid Open and Italian Open.

‘Another level!’ - Swiatek seals quickfire double-break to take control against Gauff

“I mean, that's obviously really nice for me. I would never expect anybody to compare me to Rafa because for me he's above everybody, and he's a total legend. 

“Yeah, as I said, we'll see in couple of years, but I'm proud of myself that I'm playing consistently here and that I'm mentioned in the same sentence as Rafa. That's cool,” she said.

Reflecting on her match against Gauff, Swiatek said: “For sure it was intense. In the second set it was kind of tight because we were breaking each other, but I’m happy that I was consistent with my tactics – I didn’t overthink stuff and I just went for it at the end.” 

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