Swiatek Excited About Prospect Of Facing Osaka And 'Happy That She's Back'
Iga Swiatek is looking forward to seeing Naomi Osaka return to the court for the 2024 season and the WTA world number one also hopes one of her idols, Rafael Nadal, also has a strong comeback.
Swiatek ended the 2023 campaign at the top of the WTA rankings and notched her fourth career Grand Slam during the season, too. The Polish player triumphed at the Roland Garros for a third time in four years and went on to win the WTA Finals in November.
At the World Tennis League exhibition in Abu Dhabi, Swiatek shared her excitement at seeing Osaka back, after the former world number one revealed she would return to the court in 2024 for the first time since September 2022.
When speaking to the National, the 22-year-old explained that she will be watching returning giant Osaka, and her long-term inspiration Nadal, with interest.
"I really like to watch them, so just from a fan perspective I’m really happy that they are coming back and I’m going to be able to see their game."
"Rafa obviously is a huge inspiration for me, so I just hope he’s going to play nicely. Naomi, we may play against each other, so it’s pretty funny but I’m happy that she’s back and she could fulfil her other goals and now come back to playing tennis."
While Swiatek is relishing the prospect of facing Osaka next season, the four-time Grand Slam winner also feels positive about her return, as well as Nadal's.
In her final thoughts on the topic, Swiatek explained that she wants the pair to have smooth and enjoyable returns to the court, especially after both players have experienced long-term spells on the sidelines.
""I’m just curious how they’re going to play, if they’re going to be rusty or not but obviously they are both really experienced so I hope they’re going to go well.”
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