Iga Swiatek's psychologist Daria shows support for Rafael Nadal after Spaniard makes emotional revelation about players' well-being

Rafael Nadal's first-person essay touching on aspects of his life on and off-court recently caught Iga Swiatek's psychologist Daria Abramowicz's attention. The Pole showed her support to the 22-time Grand Slam champion for penning an emotional note on players' well-being.

In the essay titled 'The Gift' for The Player's Tribune published on December 17, Nadal shared that he struggled with his mental well-being, which led to breathing difficulties on-court.

"I went through a very difficult moment, mentally, a few years ago. Physical pain I was very used to, but there were times on the court when I had trouble controlling my breathing, and I couldn’t play at the highest level, he wrote. I don’t have trouble saying it now. After all, we are human beings, not superheroes," he wrote.

Abramowicz took to Instagram to share an excerpt from Rafael Nadal's aforementioned essay on Wednesday, December 18. She shared two pictures on her story - one of the cover and another of a snapshot from the online publication's page.

"The person you see at center court with a trophy is a person. Exhausted, relieved, happy, thankful — but just a person," read the excerpt.

Screengrab from Daria Abramovicz's Instagram

Abramowicz began working with Iga Swiatek in 2019 when the latter was ranked outside the Top 50 and helped Swiatek her maiden Major trophy at the 2020 French Open and eventually climb to World No.1. Iga also prioritizes mental health and has donated generously in support.

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Rafael Nadal shares overcoming breathing struggles with resilience

Rafael Nadal at the 2024 Davis Cup Final. Image: Getty

In the aforementioned article, Rafael Nadal shared how he worked through the breathing struggles he faced a few years ago. In a career spanning two decades, bestowed with honors and glittering with 22 Grand Slam titles, the Spaniard has been known for his fighting spirit.

Talking about bringing the same spirit out when dealing with his mental well-being, Nadal said the struggle almost made him consider taking a brief break from the sport, writing:

"There were months when I thought about taking a complete break from tennis to cleanse my mind. In the end, I worked on it every day to get better. I conquered it by always moving forward, and I slowly became myself again. The thing that I’m most proud of is that I may have struggled, but I never quit. I always gave the maximum," Nadal wrote.

Nadal will make his first tennis appearance post-retirement at the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals, scheduled for December 18-22.