"Robert Lewandowski was playing, goal for me to see him live" - Iga Swiatek on witnessing Real Madrid vs Barcelona La Liga clash ahead of Madrid Open

Iga Swiatek recently revealed that one of her motivations for attending the recent La Liga clash between Real Madrid and Barcelona, before the 2024 Madrid Open, was to witness her compatriot and Barcelona striker, Robert Lewandowski, in action.

Swiatek is currently competing at the WTA 1000 Madrid tournament. She kicked off her campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. The World No.1 secured a victory against Wang Xiyu with a score of 6-1, 6-4 in her opening match.

She then went on to defeat Romania's Sorana Cirstea with a score of 6-1, 6-1, advancing to the fourth round. The Pole will next face World No.55 Sara Sorribes Tormo in her next match for a chance to secure a spot in the quarterfinals.

During her post-match interview, following her third-round win, Iga Swiatek spoke with Prakash Amritraj on Tennis Channel. There, she shared her experience of attending the recent Real Madrid vs Barcelona La Liga clash at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium before starting her Madrid Open campaign.

Swiatek mentioned that she had visited the stadium during its renovation phase and stated that it was "fun" to see the stadium with its renovations complete. The World No.1 also revealed that the other reason to watch the match was to see her compatriot Robert Lewandowski live in action.

"The stadium looks amazing. We actually have been on a tour when it was renovated two years ago, so it was fun to see it, you know? Done. And, [Robert] Lewandowski was playing, obviously. So, that’s another, you know, that was another goal for me to see him live. So it’s really cool," Iga Swiatek said (at 2:40).

Iga Swiatek watched the El Clasico clash alongside her fitness coach and physiotherapist Maciej Ryszczuk. She revealed that Ryszczuk, a Barcelona fan, hesitated to cheer for his favorite team due to the overwhelming presence of Real Madrid fans.

"Actually, we were in Madrid, but my fitness coach is a huge Barcelona fan, so he was kind of scared of cheering, but, no, it was really fun. And it was a pretty interesting match with, like, five goals. We were late because we went from the airport, so we missed two of them, but, but it was amazing anyway," she added.

Iga Swiatek will face Sara Sorribes Tormo in the fourth round of Madrid Open 2024

Iga Swiatek at the 2024 Mutua Madrid Open

Iga Swiatek will go up against Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo in the fourth round of the 2024 Madrid Open.

Swiatek, who finished as a runner-up in last year's tournament after losing to Aryna Sabalenka in the final, will be aiming to secure her first Madrid Open title this year.

The Pole kicked off her WTA 1000 Madrid campaign with a victory over Wang Xiyu in the second round, followed by a win against Sorana Cirstea in the third to secure her place in the next round.

Meanwhile, home favorite, Sara Sorribes Tormo started her Madrid Open campaign by defeating Bernarda Pera 7-5, 6-2, and Elina Svitolina 6-3, 7-5 in the first and second rounds, respectively. She then went on to beat Victoria Azarenka 7-6(0), 6-3 in the third round, setting up a fourth-round clash with Swiatek.

Iga Swiatek and Sara Sorribes Tormo have met three times on the WTA Tour, with the World No.1 emerging victorious in all three encounters. Their most recent match took place at the United Cup earlier this year, where Swiatek claimed a 6-2, 6-1 victory.