“I was like, Oh god,” Keys said. “The last thing we needed Iga to have on the clay was Rafa… Scary.”
“I would be so nervous hitting in front of him,” Krawczyk added. “I mean, I would be so excited, but I’d be like, ‘Oh my god, I can’t miss in front of Rafa!”
Swiatek’s move comes as she looks to rebound from a slow start to the season—by her standards—having yet to advance past the quarterfinals at any tournament. She reached the last eight at the Australian Open, Doha and Indian Wells, but stumbled in Miami, where she was upset in her opening match by 34-year-old Magda Linette after leading by a set. The loss marked her first opening-round defeat since 2021, and she announced her split with Fissette a week later.
Swiatek is next scheduled to compete at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, beginning April 13.
