“Iga Swiatek has this ‘Rafian’ ability” – Andy Roddick likens Pole to Rafael Nadal as she gears up for Italian Open final against Aryna Sabalenka

Iga Swiatek recently received the praise of the highest degree from Andy Roddick as the American likened the Pole's style of play to 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal. Swiatek is notably scheduled to take on Aryna Sabalenka in the women's singles final of the 2024 Italian Open on Saturday, May 18.

It will be the 11th time in their careers and the second in a fortnight that Swiatek and Sabalenka will lock horns on the court. The two most recently played against each other in the final of the Madrid Open women's singles draw, where the Pole clinched a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(7) victory.

Swiatek notably holds a psychological edge over Sabalenka as the World No. 1 enjoys an advantage of 7-3 in terms of head-to-head. She also has a head-to-head lead of 3-1 in the finals.

Player-turned-analyst Andy Roddick recently shared his thoughts about what Swiatek and Sabalenka need to do at Foro Italico on Saturday to take the Rome crown home.

To begin with, he advised the Belarusian to be consistent with her first serves and play an aggressive form of tennis against Swiatek.

"Start with Sabalenka’s serve. In order to get that first strike, she’s gonna have to land a bunch of first serves and then attack that first ball," Roddick told Tennis Channel.

The former US Open champion then proceeded to analyze Iga Swiatek's game and draw parallels between her and Rafael Nadal's footwork, terming it the 'Rafian' ability.

"Iga, the one thing that Iga is able to do is kind of turn. When Sabalenka goes big to the corners, if she doesn't hit perfectly, Iga has this ‘Rafian’ ability to slide hit and then like in one motion, be a foot back towards the middle," Roddick added.

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"Iga Swiatek has the best footwork that I’ve seen on men’s and women’s side" - Andy Roddick

Iga Swiatek

During the aforementioned conversation, Andy Roddick further warned Aryna Sabalenka to be precise with her cross-court rockets, otherwise Iga Swiatek would give her a hard time.

"So, Sabalenka’s shots have to be even… normally she can get away with kind of splitting the edge of the court between the hashmark and the sideline and just beat someone on power," the former World No. 1 said.

Roddick went on to declare Swiatek's maneuvering the best on the WTA and ATP tours combined.

"Iga's ability to cut… I think she has the best footwork that I've seen on men’s and women’s side, this side of Rafa. It's just phenomenal and Iga just has to be able to switch directions," he added.

If Iga Swiatek manages to down Aryna Sabalenka in the summit clash of the 2024 Italian Open on Saturday, she will have 21 tour-level titles in her bag.