'Bad for everybody': Pegula, Keys comment on Swiatek hitting with Rafa

Iga Swiatek is looking to get in form for the Clay-Court swing, and perhaps find some inspiration after dropping her opening match in Miami and parting ways with coach Wim Fissette.

And where better to do that than the Rafa Nadal Academy, the home base of her tennis idol?

That's where the six-time Grand Slam champion has been training ahead of her first clay-court tournament of the year, in Stuttgart. Videos of the World No. 4 hitting with Nadal and new coach Francisco Roig have been circulating across social media, and fans and players alike have taken notice.

That includes the co-hosts of The Player's Box podcast, who discussed it on their most recent episode. Their consensus: Bad news for every other player on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz.

"I feel like that's perfect for Iga," said Jessica Pegula, fresh off her second consecutive Charleston Open title. "I saw a clip of them on the clay, and I was like ugh, this is bad for everybody."

"I was like, Oh god," added Madison Keys. "The last thing we needed Iga to have on the clay was Rafa."

After Pegula and Keys shared a nervy laugh with co-hosts Jennifer Brady and Desirae Krawczyk, Pegula remarked that a Swiatek-Nadal pairing -- that's 18 combined French Open titles, by the way -- should be illegal.

The foursome agreed that if they were in Swiatek's shoes, they'd be jittery and anxious hitting with the all-time great on clay.

"I'm so sorry I didn't do it right!" Pegula imagined she'd say to the 22-time Grand Slam champion after inevitably not executing a shot, or getting into position, the way he would have.

To check out their conversation about Swiatek and Nadal, go to the 12:43 mark below.

We'll find out next week in Stuttgart if the time spent with Nadal, and the new partnership with Roig, pays immediate dividends for Swiatek, who is coming off one of the biggest upset losses of her career. Prior to falling to Magda Linette at the Miami Open, she had won 73 consecutive opening-round matches dating back to 2021.

Thankfully for Swiatek, she's returning to the clay, where she's most comfortable and has had the most success in her career.

After Stuttgart, where Swiatek is a two-time champion, she will play the back-to-back WTA 1000 tournaments in Madrid and Rome.

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