How Nadal, Djokovic inspired Iga Swiatek vs Danielle Collins match

• Swiatek termed it a moment of revelation
• Swiatek had a challenging match against Collins
• The Pole staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Collins

Iga Swiatek vs Danielle Collins second-round match at the Australian Open 2024 had a special revelation for the world No. 1.

Swiatek said that it was a moment of revelation for her because she discovered that she wants to carry a legacy like that of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

Iga Swiatek vs Danielle Collins

Swiatek had a challenging match against Collins and she was apprehensive that she would bid the tournament goodbye in the first round.

The Pole staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Collins, the runner-up in the 2022 Australian Open, with a scoreline of 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in the second round of the Melbourne Grand Slam on Thursday.

Swiatek, facing a 1-3 deficit, managed to clinch a tightly contested opening set. In the second set, she found herself trailing 1-5, and Collins eventually levelled the match by securing her sixth set point.

Entering the deciding set, the 62nd-ranked Collins quickly gained a 4-1 lead with a double break. However, Swiatek staged an incredible turnaround, breaking Collins three times in a run of five consecutive games.

Crucially, Swiatek saved three consecutive break points at 2-4, 0-40, holding her serve and preventing Collins from serving for the match.

Danielle Collins vs Iga Swiatek. Photo/Sportskeeda

Collins was in her element given her previous encounter with Swiatek at the 2022 Australian Open semifinals. She secured a 4-6, 1-6 win over the current world No. 1.

However, Swiatek braced for this fight and even on the verge of losing, she pushed on and sailed through an uncertain second-round.

Iga Swiatek Vs Danielle Collins Match Lesson

She told the press that it is hard making improvements on her style of play especially when on the court due to limiting time factor.

Switek admitted that Collins gave her a hard time which is why she lost in on set but still managed to beat her.

“I don’t know if I can improve. I mean, I always try, but it’s hard to know if you can actually improve something only like one hour of practice I’m going to have tomorrow. Honestly, I feel like it’s all about momentum. She played really well,” she stated.

“I mean, it’s not like I’m kind of just explaining why I lost the set and I was in trouble. I felt like she played really well. I did everything I could. I would say the same if I would lose. For the next match, I’m just going to kind of start from the beginning. It’s another round and, yeah, fight no matter what.”

The triple French Open winner said she discovered that she is at the point where she needs to emulate Djokovic and Nadal.

She is inspired by how the two players keep on moving even when they are unable to play at their peak levels.

Swiatek, said she is always trying to improve her game so much that her team feels she is pushing herself way beyond the allowed levels.

However, she is now into Nadal-Djokovic philosophy that allows them to get better during tournaments.

Iga Swiatek at the 2023 US Open. Photo/Eurosport

“We’ve seen many tournaments where, I mean, Novak, I haven’t seen him play, but it seemed like he’s not winning too easily. He’s also that kind of person that probably improves during the tournament, is able to do that. I also saw Rafa on some tournaments doing that. I’m just trying to take an example from that and not panic so early,” she underscored.

The US Open 2022 winner recalled struggling with peak performance in past Grand Slam events but gathered courage to win.

One of those is the 2023 season where she exited the Australian Open in the semifinals after losing to Collins.

She went ahead to win a fourth Grand Slam at Roland Garros this same season because she has mastered the art of improving her skill.

“I also struggled couple of times during Grand Slams on the first rounds, then I won Roland Garros like that, I won US Open like that. Yeah, but I always try to improve it. As I said, during one-hour practice, there’s not much you can improve. It’s probably just in your head, yeah.”