After dealing with a slow start to her 2026 season, former WTA World No.1 Iga Swiatek recently seeked out Rafael Nadal’s help ahead of the clay swing. Now, ATP star Casper Ruud has followed her lead and the Norwegian is currently training at the Rafa Nadal academy in Mallorca after multiple disastrous results.
Swiatek began her year as the World No.2 at the Australian Open, where she failed to make it past the quarterfinals. The Pole went on to make quarterfinals exits at the Qatar Open and in Indian Wells, before being shown the door in her opening round encounter at the Miami Open. Subsequently, the Grand Slam champion dropped down to World No.4 in the rankings and parted ways with coach Wim Fissette. She has since moved to Mallorca in order to train under Francisco Roig, with her sessions being overseen by Rafael Nadal himself.
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Taking a page out of Iga Swiatek’s book, ATP World No.12 Casper Ruud was recently spotted training at Nadal’s academy.
Ruud has had an underwhelming 2026 so far. The 27-year-old has made three opening round exits in seven tournaments, with his best result being a quarterfinals finish at the Delray Beach Open. The Norwegian was last seen in action at the Monte-Carlo Masters where he was forced to withdraw midway from his round of 16 clash against Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Iga Swiatek opens up about her ‘inspiring time’ training under Rafael Nadal
Since moving to Rafael Nadal‘s academy a few weeks ago, Iga Swiatek has given fans regular updates about her training in Mallorca. While the Pole is being coached by Francisco Roig, Nadal himself has often joined in on her sessions to provide insights.
Recently, after her win over Laura Siegemund at the Stuttgart Open, Swiatek opened up about her ‘inspiring time’ training under Nadal, saying,
“With Rafa, obviously it was a privilege and an inspiring time. I’m always super motivated before coming on clay, but having him on court was an extra crazy boost of motivation. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever spent so much time on court as I did in Mallorca. It was a week full of grind and hard work.”
She went on to add that the Spanish tennis legend was ‘motivating in a positive way’, saying,
“He was motivating in a positive way. I’d say chill, but on the other hand strict. Honestly, it’s Rafa. No matter what he’s going to say, you’re going to do it 100 per cent. You know his intensity. Having him on the court, you want to show the same kind of vibe. Just him being there obviously did the job.”
Up next, Iga Swiatek is scheduled to return to action on Friday, April 17 for her quarterfinals encounter at the Stuttgart Open. The Pole will be facing off against Russian Mirra Andreeva for the match.
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Edited by Riddhi Acharya
