"Iga Swiatek's mindset is like Rafael Nadal" - Serena Williams' ex-coach compares Pole's French Open "trophy collection" to Spaniard's after 4th win

Serena Williams' ex-coach, Rick Macci, has praised Iga Swiatek for clinching her fourth French Open title. The veteran tennis coach also likened Swiatek's gameplay and mindset to Rafael Nadal's.

On Saturday, in a match that lasted just 68 minutes, the Pole defeated first-time Grand Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-1 to clinch the 2024 French Open title and her fifth Grand Slam title. En route to the final, she defeated the likes of Leolia Jeanjean, Naomi Osaka, Marie Bouzková, Anastasia Potapova, Markéta Vondroušová, and Coco Gauff.

Following her match, Serena Williams' ex-coach Rick Macci took to X (formerly Twitter) to compare her mentality and style of play to that of Rafael Nadal.

“Her mindset is like Rafa. Her wicked spin angles are like Rafa. And her trophy collection at Roland Garros is trending like Rafa. @igaswiatek” Rick Macci said

Nadal has won a total of 22 Grand Slam titles during his career, 14 of which are French Open titles, holding the record for the most titles at the clay-court major.

Following her victory over Paolini, Swiatek is now the only active player, aside from 43-year-old Venus Williams, who has won 5 Grand Slam titles.

Swiatek is also having an amazing season, winning trophies at the Qatar Open, Indian Wells Open, Madrid Open, and the Italian Open.

Iga Swiatek - “I would never expect anyone to compare me to Rafael Nadal”

2024 French Open - Day 12 - Iga Swiatek

After her victory over Coco Gauff in the semifinal of the 2024 French Open, Iga Swiatek was asked by the press to speak about her dominance in the tournament and her thoughts on being compared to Rafael Nadal.

Swiatek stated that it's a nice feeling to be compared to the 14-time French Open winner, but it would take 14 more years to know if such comparisons are truly warranted, and wouldn't expect anyone to compare her to the Spaniard just yet. She added that she is proud of the consistency she has been able to maintain and feels honored to be mentioned in the same sentence as Nadal.

"We will see in 14 years if the journey is similar, I mean it's obviously very nice to me. I would never expect anyone to compare me to Rafa because for me he is above everybody and he is a total legend. We will see in a couple of years, but I am proud of myself that I am playing consistently here and that I'm mentioned in the same sentence as Rafa. That's cool,” Iga Swiatek said

In the twilight of his career, Rafael Nadal competed in his 19th French Open this year. However, his run ended early in the first round against eventual finalist Alexander Zverev.